We Go Front, Back, And Side To Side — How Motion Explains Organisms
My special theory of evolution
You probably have heard of the face model called Einstein.
His most famous pic, arguably, is the one where he sticks his tongue out. Let’s talk about that for a bit.
Sticking your tongue out, while squinting your eyes gives a look of defiance. While Einstein did not have such a face, his theory was a form of defiance. Scratch that, his two theories.
He had a special theory of relativity and a general one. The special one talked about light, and the general one gave light context by factoring in gravity.
Here’s a kicker.
While I was developing my theory of evolution, Organismal Selection, I also developed a special one. To emulate the great scientist, I also call mine The Special Theory of Organismal Selection.
Also, it has to do with light. But, with some context, it discusses gravity.
Let me paint it for you.
I had to develop my argument about an atom portraying features of an organism first before writing about this special theory.
You see, an atom behaves just like an organism. It exists, and it tries to avoid annihilation. Just like you.
But more than that, it tries to extend its existence. It does that by staying in a constant state of motion.
Here’s what Einstein stated about objects in motion. If you are at rest, time moves fast. If you are in motion, time moves slowly.
Now, one thing we always know about particles is that they are in a constant state of motion. What my special theory of evolution predicts is that they need to be in a constant state of motion for them to extend their stay alive.
Particles cannot reproduce. They don’t have a DNA. But what they have is motion.
In line with Einstein’s theory of general relativity, motion slows time. By extension, it delays death.
If you have been keenly reading my organism series, you will notice I describe organisms as any physical entity that exists and tries to avoid annihilation.
For particles, they tend to avoid annihilation by being in a constant state of motion.
Carl Sagan further talked about evolution being about two things — time and death. By organisms trying to avoid death, they extend their time existing. Particles such as atoms and other sub-atomic particles extend their stay by continuous motion.
What I love so much about this special side of my theory is it explains other physical phenomena that previously proved mysterious.
It completely blew my mind!
What you gonna do?
My theory predicts diffusion qualitatively.
A lot of studies have discussed diffusion. Many have used equations to explain the movement of particles from regions of high concentration to those of low concentration.
The second theory of thermodynamics also does the same. By scattering, the particles become disordered. Identifying most of them in a confined space becomes tough over time.
What they do is move. I mean, what else are they to do? If particles are organisms, that is what they have to do.
If it were you and that is the only option you have to continue existing, wouldn’t you take it? Particles seize this chance and do just that.
They move.
As a result, we have the process of diffusion.
In the cell, it is a movement that sparks reactions. It happens spontaneously. When we merge the two processes together, we get reaction-diffusion.
Reaction diffusion is the process described by Allan Turin to explain the emergence of patterns in cells. It is not the only process endorsed. The other is positional information, by Lewis Wolpert.
These two theories depend on motion.
Like Nas, these particles have to remind themselves:
Some do, but every other time, organisms need to self-assert.
Talkin’ about gats, traps, cops, and robbers — basically, entropy
Entropy is a state of disorder. Biochemically, it spells death.
Because particles move, my theory also predicts, again, qualitatively, the emergence of entropy.
We know that entropy tends towards a maximum. The explanation given is usually probabilistic, according to the statistical interpretation of entropy.
But it happens through motion.
Particles scatter because they have to. They have to move or risk time elapsing fast on them.
As a result, particles, AKA particulate organisms, last long but in the process, generate entropy. What my theory states is that entropy is an emergent trait developed by the frantic state of particles trying to avoid annihilation.
If your life is threatened, wouldn’t you do anything to stay alive? Now imagine 1000 such organisms under fatal threat. What of 1,000,000? Can you now start to see disorder as an emergent property?
It’s what my theory predicts.
Girls hold your weave while I’m weaving through traffic — It’s what particles say every time they move
One of the central properties scientists cite as evidence of living organisms is reproduction.
The basic structural and functional unit of life is the cell. A cell reproduces.
A virus does not.
But a virus consists of nucleic acids. These are particulate. According to the theory of Organismal Selection, particles are organisms. By extension, viruses are organisms.
I don’t insist on aliveness. I insist on existence. You can debate about whether one is alive or not in another fora and my guess is there will still not be a consensus.
Existence, however, is evident. Physical existence.
Now, reproduction is just one of the strategies organisms use to continue existing. At least, parts of it, according to modern theories of evolution. It is the genes that continue to persist.
However, according to Organismal Selection, organisms will continue to persist regardless of the method. Reproduction is just one of the methods.
Being in constant motion is another.
Among humans, it is the females who do the reproducing, at the human level. What the particles say to them is:
Girls hold your weave while I’m weaving through traffic.
Particles have to move against other particles also on the move. Does that sound like you getting stuck in traffic? I bet it does.
Basically, the particles also have their own way of persisting.
As a result, my theory explains the kinetic theory of matter. Particles are always in motion because they have to be in motion.
As in good scientific tradition, we have to give an instance when the theory will fail. So I will.
My theory will fail if we find a particle that is not in a state of motion.
Then I’ll drop my theory. Until then, I will stick with it.
See why I love this theory so much? As my younger friends will say:
It keeps on giving.
The Special Theory of Organismal Selection
The special theory talks about particles persisting because they are in motion.
It explains:
- Diffusion
- Entropy, and
- The Kinetic Theory of Matter.
It explains why it has to happen.
If that is not special, then tell me what is.
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