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The String Landscape as Genetic Alphabet: The Subtle Virtues of a Non-Unique Cosmic Code

The String Landscape as Genetic Alphabet: The Subtle Virtues of a Non-Unique Cosmic Code. James Gardner. Francis Crick’s Classic Contrast. Arbitrariness of the terrestrial genetic code versus Presumed universality of the laws and constants of physics. Disquieting Development.

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The String Landscape as Genetic Alphabet: The Subtle Virtues of a Non-Unique Cosmic Code

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  1. The String Landscape as Genetic Alphabet: The Subtle Virtues of a Non-Unique Cosmic Code James Gardner EDU 2008

  2. Francis Crick’s Classic Contrast • Arbitrariness of the terrestrial genetic code versus • Presumed universality of the laws and constants of physics. EDU 2008

  3. Disquieting Development • Universality of laws and constants of physics called into question. • The culprit: new concept of a string theory landscape containing numerous low-energy vacuua. EDU 2008

  4. Horror of Horrors • Physicists’ hopes that string theory would yield a unique solution, corresponding tightly to the parameters of the Standard Model, have been dashed. • Now, some string theorists have embraced the weak anthropic principle out of desperation. EDU 2008

  5. Don’t despair, because . . . • The very arbitrariness of the cosmic code may be trying to tell us something important. EDU 2008

  6. The Subtle Virtues of a Non-Unique Cosmic Code • Arbitrariness of cosmic code → capacity of cosmic code to function as a genuine code (a “message”). • Arbitrariness may enable the cosmic code to function as a kind of cosmic DNA. EDU 2008

  7. The Hypothesized Function of “Cosmic DNA” • To prescribe a developmental program of cosmic ontogeny. • To serve as a heredity mechanism in a hypothesized process of cosmic replication. • Functionally equivalent to the role of terrestrial DNA. EDU 2008

  8. String Theory: Not Even Wrong? • Fundamental credo of physics: there exists an elegant & unique final theory. • This mythical beast has proven as elusive as a unicorn. EDU 2008

  9. String Theory: The Hope and The Reality • At first, a promising path toward unique & “brittle” reconciliation of relativity and quantum mechanics. • But problems: • No experimental evidence. • Alice’s restaurant problem: you can find any cosmos you could possibly want somewhere on the landscape. EDU 2008

  10. Rube Goldberg’s Universe • Not an “elegant universe” at all. • Predicting the constants of nature becomes a messy environmental problem. • All the complications of biology. (Remember that word: biology.) EDU 2008

  11. Fundamental Character of Physical Laws / Constants • Invariant/inevitable or • Contingent/subject to selection. EDU 2008

  12. A Surprising Convergence • Links Stanford string theorists, Smolin, Wheeler, Davies, me, others. • Laws/constants of physics are not invariant but the result of some kind of generative process. EDU 2008

  13. What Kind of Generative Process? • Eternal inflation → randomly varying vacuua selected from the string landscape at the moment of each new Big Bang, with WAP overlay. • PAP (Wheeler & Davies). • CNS (Smolin). • Selfish Biocosm hypothesis (me). EDU 2008

  14. Radical Common Element • Laws & constants of nature are not immutable but subject to variation (all theorists listed above). • Evolution (Smolin & Gardner) • Perturbation & emergence through operation of life & intelligence (Wheeler, Davies & Gardner). EDU 2008

  15. String Theory’s Unheralded Triumph (1) • Not the revelation of elegant and unique laws of nature. • Butsomething else of enormous value: a plausible physical mechanism to explain the posited variation of the laws and constants of physics. • Vast number of Calabi-Yau manifolds. EDU 2008

  16. String Theory’s Unheralded Triumph (2) • Calabi-Yau shape variation allows the string landscape to be populated by a vast number of Calabi-Yau manifolds. • This possibility may permit the elements of the string landscape to function as cosmic DNA (i.e., as a true code). EDU 2008

  17. The Hard Art of Universe Creation • How to send a message to an artificially created baby universe? • Andrei Linde’s solution: embed the message in the laws of physics that would prevail in the new universe. EDU 2008

  18. M-Theory’s Perceived Weakness Is Crucial Strength • Lack of unique prediction of physical laws and constants is crucial strength ifone of the functions of physical laws and constants is to transmit information to new baby universes. • Linde: Message can be long and informative only if string landscape is sufficiently diverse. EDU 2008

  19. Precise Analogy to DNA • Inherent arbitrariness of the genetic code allows DNA to function as a superb coding mechanism. • Inherent flexibility of M-theory cosmology makes it possible for physical laws/constants to encode a message → cosmic DNA → recipe for cosmic reproduction. EDU 2008

  20. Goodbye, Final TheoryHello, Cosmic Biology • Out—Beauty, elegance, mathematical uniqueness. • In—Messiness, complexity, arbitrariness. EDU 2008

  21. Christian de Duve: • “Life is an integral part of the universe; it is even the most complex and significant part of the known universe.” • “The manifestations of life should dominate our world picture, not be excluded from it.” EDU 2008

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