Quantum entanglement and biodiversity
Quantum entanglement and biodiversity
The way we have observed reality has not always been the same. It has changed according to different historical eras but also according to places and cultural and religious traditions.
In recent centuries we have looked at the world as a collection of “pieces”. Above all, the newborn science has led us to observe the individual parts, analyze them and classify them. It’s certainly not a mistake. The story evolves and, with it, so do the various thoughts. Newtonian science had placed us as observers of phenomena: almost outside them.
Quantum science is carrying out the same cultural upheaval that they had to “endure” following the discovery that the earth was spherical and not flat.
One of the most shocking phenomena of this branch of science (at least from a cognitive point of view) is that of quantum entanglement.
Quantum entanglement is a fundamental phenomenon in quantum theory that occurs when two or more particles establish correlations such that the state of one particle cannot be described independently of the state of the others, even if they are separated by considerable distances. This quantum correlation is a crucial aspect of quantum mechanics and has been the subject of numerous studies and experiments.
Quantum entanglement represents a complex and mysterious phenomenon of quantum mechanics, defined by Einstein as “frightening action at a distance” which, however, has been photographed for the first time by a team of physicists from the University of Glasgow, in the United Kingdom. The team showed the first image of the strange interaction between particles that underlies the phenomenon and operation of quantum computers.
Quantum entanglement occurs when two particles are intrinsically connected and this union has effects on the physical system: any action or measurement on the first also has an instantaneous effect on the second (and vice versa) even if it is at a distance. In this case the authors photographed the entanglement between two photons that interact and for an instant share the same physical state. The results are published in Science Advances.
What seems like an intrinsic logic of particles at a subatomic level (but which in the real world, made up of space and time, we struggle to understand) can instead be a real (non-spatial) characteristic of the entire reality.
Let’s talk about the world of biological biodiversity.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life forms on Earth, including various species of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms, as well as the complex interactions between them and with the surrounding environment. Biodiversity is influenced by a number of factors, including ecological interactions, ecosystem dynamics and three-dimensional relationships between different species.
Thus, although it may seem that quantum entanglement and biodiversity belong to very different disciplines, there are some conceptual similarities that can be considered.
The first analogy is that between interconnection and interdependence. Quantum entanglement highlights how particles, in the quantum state, are closely related, regardless of distance. Similarly, in biodiversity, there are multiple interconnections between different species, and ecological relationships can extend over vast territories. Let’s take for example migratory birds whose movements over even considerably distant areas connect different biomes to each other. An alteration in one of the two biomes has certain interference on the other and vice versa.
Another analogy is therefore that of the Chain Effect. In the quantum world, the measurement of one particle instantly affects the state of the other with which it is correlated. In biodiversity, variation in the population of one species can have a ripple effect, influencing other species and ecosystem dynamics. The difference between the two analogies is that the first is instantaneous while the second is gradual; this is obviously linked to the different entropic state of the two systems. In this regard, let us remember that the time dimension is correlated to the entropic state of a system and, in tangible reality, entropy is never equal to zero so this generates the time that… flows.
A further analogy is that of the complexity of systems. Both contexts are characterized by complex systems. In quantum mechanics, the behavior of particle systems is extremely complex and interrelated. In biodiversity, complexity emerges from the multiple interactions between species and the dynamics of ecosystems. A is linked to B but in the same way B is linked to A and this for all the multiple letters of the biodiversity alphabet, for the umpteenth time.
However, it is important to note that these analogies are more conceptual than based on a direct scientific connection. Currently, there is no known connection between quantum entanglement and biodiversity in the natural sciences. While quantum entanglement is one of the most intriguing phenomena in quantum physics (and proven in the laboratory), the dynamics of biodiversity are mainly explained through traditional ecological and biological principles.
Probably, however, future insights into the identity of the quantum state of subatomic particles and the analogies in the macroscopic world will open up interesting ideas for research and understanding of the reality in which we are immersed and of which we are part.
In fact, some researchers have begun to explore possible connections between biodiversity and the principles of quantum mechanics. Some suggest that the complexity and diversity of ecosystems might be governed by laws or principles similar to those found in quantum mechanics. However, it is important to emphasize that this is still an evolving area of research and that the specific connections between biodiversity and quantum correlation are not yet well understood or established.
Probably the intuitions of A. Einstein, a genius often not understood by scientists of his time, still have many secrets to reveal to us and one of the sectors of greatest development is precisely the apparently most unthinkable one: that of the entire macroscopic organization of life in which everything, despite the differences in size and state, it seems to respond to the same principles of quantum mechanics.
Guido Bissanti