Quantum Evolution: How Physics' Weirdest Theory Explains Life's Biggest Mystery. - book review

Science News, May 4, 2002

JOHNJOE MCFADDEN

In their effort to explain the nature and the origin of life, scientists are reductionists, examining cells, DNA, and proteins in an attempt to understand biology. McFadden takes this bottom-up approach one step further and ties quantum mechanics to the development of life and its evolution. By examining biological and physical theories of what life is, its limitations, and how it emerged in the universe, McFadden lays a foundation for approaching life's questions at the quantum level. Clear overviews of microbiology and quantum theory aid McFadden's explanation of the possible role of quantum measurement in cellular development and the implications of such a phenomenon on free will, evolution, and the emergence of consciousness. Originally published in hardcover in 2001. W.W. Norton & Co., 2002, 338 p., b&w illus., paperback, $16.95.