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Joe Wolfe spoke about (quasi) low dimensional features such as:
- 1D: some anatomies, littoral zone, dawn-sunset zone on Mercury, DNA, unfolded protein
- 2D: some anatomies, the biosphere, membranes
Think of some other (quasi) low dimensional which are important to terrestrial biology and discuss whether they might be likely to be important to particular classes of possible exobiologies.
Debate the importance of low dimensional features
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Joe proposed that 1D information coding (e.g. DNA, writing, radio, video)
was useful because it had, at most, 2 mappings to time. Answer any of the
following: Why is this important? How many mappings can a 2D coding (e.g. a
picture, a crossword) have? Comment on the possible relevance to
exobiology.
Explain the advantages of 3D information mapping.
- The thermal energy is kT where T is the (absolute) temperature and k is Boltzmann's constant (1.38 E-23 J/K). Earth's temperature is about 300 K. Terrestrial biology uses reactions whose activation energies are about ten thermal energies. Its covalent bonds are broken by 100s of thermal energies. Propose an exobiochemistry that would work at a temperature substantially higher or lower than 300 K (e.g. factor of 2 or more) and expound a little about it.
- Joe argued that any thinking, chemistry based life would be likely to use digital electronics and "massively parallel" processing and exchange of information. Can you imagine an exoneurobiology (in a chemical lifeform) that used mainly serial transmission and processing, or extensive analogue processing. If so, explain how it would either achieve, or not need to achieve, high speed and insenstivity to noise. How would it have evolved? (Or, if it was created, why?)
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