5 papers
Coherence in Biological Systems
Yehuda Roth
When does a collection of autonomous cells become a multicellular individual? We propose that coherence provides a physical description of this transition. Coherence is treated as…
Identity and Self as Physical Signatures of Life in Dictyostelium and Multicellular Systems
Yehuda Roth
In previous work we sought to address the fundamental question ``What is life?''. Building on that conceptual foundation, we here integrate traditional criteria for living systems…
Fock-Space Formulation of the Lifetime of a Unicellular Organism
Yehuda Roth
What is life? In this work, we take life to mean a dynamical tendency to conserve identity for as long as possible. For a single bacterium, identity is carried by its chromosomal D…
Classical Coherence and Biological Aging
Yehuda Roth
In previous work it was argued that the cells of a multicellular organism form a classically coherent system and that such coherence is essential for life. Here we make this claim…
Classical Coherence Distinguishes Organisms from Colonies
Yehuda Roth
What distinguishes a multicellular organism from a colony? In the first scenario, individual cells belong to the whole; their function is defined only within the organismal context…