In association with
Editorial Review:
Johnjoe McFadden "enters new and provocative territory in his marriage of physics and biology" (Science News ). His simple but staggering theory of quantum evolution shows how quantum mechanics gives living organisms the ability to initiate specific actions, including new mutations. As Paul Davies exclaims, "if these ideas are right, they will transform our understanding of the relationship between physics and biology" and may radically revise the notion of random evolution and the debate over consciousness and free will.The hairiest heresy of evolutionary biology, the one most likely to get scientists figuratively burned at the stake, is the notion that any force more selective than blind chance could drive mutation. Such "directed evolution" smacks too much of a retreat into creationism for most science-minded readers to be comfortable with, but there's no a priori reason to reject the idea. Molecular biologist Johnjoe McFadden risks the Inquisition by suggesting just such a possibility in Quantum Evolution: The New Science of Life . Directed at a general but somewhat sophisticated readership, the book covers the basics of both standard evolutionary theory and quantum-level physics, then synthesizes them in an interesting theory of made-to-order mutation that explains enough to warrant attention and is, importantly, testable.
McFadden's writing is clear and sharp, and it shows a high regard for the reader's intelligence and patience for complex ideas. This is no airplane book--except for those already well-versed in the latest in both evolutionary theory and subatomic physics. The rewards of reading are great, and the author bows just enough to established theory that he might meet the fate of his intellectual predecessors. The ideas underlying Quantum Evolution may be right or wrong, but they challenge received wisdom without plunging into dogmatism--and that's good science. --Rob Lightner
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Superb writing:
Perfection in scientific writing achieved by Dr McFadden. Shame I did not have a single lecture with him at University of Surrey.
Speculative, yes, but well-written:
McFadden begins with a discussion of what defines life. He concludes that "directed action" is a key notion. This is something analogous to the appearance of "will" in humans or higher animals. Moreover this directed action takes place all the way down to the microscopic level within organisms. Organisms are characterized by order via directed action at scales large and small.more info Great book:
The authors exploration into quantum physics and it's relevance in evolution provides an extremely interesting view on the possibilities of how life began. Quantum physics was not a discipline that I had much knowledge of prior to reading this book, but McFadden makes clear, easy to understand examples of its most important points. I found this material so interesting that I even reread the book to gain a clearer understanding of the big picture of quantum evolution. This book was very well written and I... more info Biology Physically Explained!:
This is one of the most innovative theories I've encountered since Albert Einstein's proposal of General Relativity (I once recommended this book to one of my buddies and he ended up buying it and making his girlfriend read it). It basically explains the origins of life, evolutionary jumps, adaptive mutation rates, and unprecedented complex processes (especially those whose precursors lacked an independent selection value) in terms of the influence of the inverse quantum zeno effect on the decoherence of... more info Similar Products:
Click here for Similar Products
Portions © Amazon.com, Inc.