Cosmologic philosophy: fine tuning of cell viscosity (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, August 30, 2023, 18:49 (241 days ago) @ David Turell

Viscosity must be within exact limits for diffusion of molecules to work:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh9024

The problem of understanding fundamental physical constants and their values was discussed in particle physics, astronomy, and cosmology. Here, I show that an additional unexpected insight comes from condensed matter physics and liquid physics in particular: Fundamental constants have a biofriendly window constrained by biofriendly viscosity and diffusion setting the motion in essential life processes in and across cells. I also show that bounds on viscosity, diffusion, and the fundamental velocity gradient in a biochemical machine can all be varied while keeping the fine-structure constant and the proton-to-electron mass ratio intact, with no implication for the production of heavy nuclei in stars. This leads to a conjecture of multiple tuning and an evolutionary mechanism.

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Here, I show that these models are nevertheless possible. These models are general enough to impose constraints on fundamental constants from biofriendly viscosity and diffusion involved in essential life processes setting the motion in and across cells. These constraints imply a biofriendly window for fundamental constants. I show that bounds on viscosity and diffusion can be varied while keeping α and β intact, with no implication for the production of heavy nuclei. The same applies to the fundamental velocity gradient that I introduce in relation to flow in a biochemical machine. These observations lead to a conjecture of multiple tuning and an evolutionary mechanism.

I consider the cell, the basic building block of life forms. There are several areas related to cells where flow is important. The two important ones are the operation of the cell itself [e.g., transport involving protein motors and cytoskeletal filaments, passive and active molecular transport, cytoplasmic mixing, mobility of cytoplasmic constituents, diffusion involved in cell proliferation (14, 15), and so on] and the flow in the organism involving many cells (e.g., blood flow). Another area where flow is important is related to the prebiotic synthesis of life building blocks in the metabolic flux, the basis of life, thought to give rise to DNA blocks in protocells (16). Liquids and gases are two states providing a medium where this flow can happen and matter can move. Viscosity governs this flow and is therefore tightly embedded in life processes and their dynamics.

Comment: This tells us water is the perfect solvent for cellular biochemical activities. Sabine Hossenfelder discusses:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGtwqNLtpkrgQGvWpXfrChXgHJJ

"A scientist at the Queen Mary University of London has shown that our universe is bio-friendly in a surprising way. For life to be possible, liquids should neither flow too easily nor too slowly, and in our universe, they do it just the right way. The flowing behaviour of liquids is quantified with the “viscosity” of a liquid. Honey has high viscosity. Superfluids (technically) have a viscosity of zero.

"According to the new paper, a proper viscosity level is necessary for vital cell processes. For example, if the viscosity of water is too high, cellular processes such as protein folding and enzyme activity stop working. If it’s too low, cell membranes become useless. And while life on earth is based on water in particular, the paper's author claims these viscosity bounds need to be fulfilled by whatever liquid on which life elsewhere is based.

"Viscosity is, of course, not a fundamental quantity, but ultimately derives from other, more fundamental constants – such as the masses of elementary particles and the strengths of their interactions – so any bound on the viscosity of water implicitly provides another constraint on the fundamental constants."

More comment: just another level of fine tuning.