On (Schröedinger's) quest for new physics for life

Abstract

Two recent investigations are reviewed: quantum effects for DNA aggregates and scars formation on virus capsids. The possibility that scars could explain certain data recently obtained by Sundquist's group in electron cryotomography of immature HIV-1 virions is also briefly addressed. Furthermore, a bottom-up reflection is presented on the need to invent new physics to pave the way to a rigorous physical theory of biological phenomena. Our experience in the two researches presented here and our personal interpretation of Schroedinger's vision are behind the latter request.

9 pages, 5 pages, Fourth International Workshop DICE2008

References in corpus (16)

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• Grain Boundary Scars and Spherical Crystallography
• Interacting Topological Defects on Frozen Topographies
• Viral self-assembly as a thermodynamic process
• Crystalline Order on a Sphere and the Generalized Thomson Problem
• Charge Fluctuation Forces Between Stiff Polyelectrolytes in Salt Solution: Pairwise Summability Re-examined
• Elasticity Theory and Shape Transitions of Viral Shells
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• Frustrated Polyelectrolyte Bundles and T=0 Josephson-Junction Arrays
• Topological Constraints on the Charge Distributions for the Thomson Problem
• Casimir buoyancy
• Phase Diagram of Chiral Biopolymer Wigner Crystals
• Scar-Driven Shape-Changes of Virus Capsids