Biological systems - "Symphonies of Life": Reviving Friedrich Cramer's general resonance theory

Abstract

Understanding biological systems in terms of scientific materialism has arguably reached a frontier, leaving fundamental questions about their complexity unanswered. In 1998, Friedrich Cramer proposed a general resonance theory as a way forward. His theory builds on the extension of the quantum physical duality of matter and wave to the macroscopic world. According to Cramer' theory, agents constituting biological systems oscillate, akin to musical soundwaves, at specific eigenfrequencies. Biological system dynamics can be described as "Symphonies of Life" emerging from the resonance (and dissonance) of eigenfrequencies within the interacting collective. His theory has potential for studying biological problems of increasing complexity in a fast-changing Anthropocene from a new and transdisciplinary angle. Despite data becoming increasingly available for analyses, Cramer's theory remains ignored and therefore untested a quarter century after its publication. This paper discusses how the theory can move to quantitative assessments and application. Cramer's general resonance theory deserves revival.Schematic of biological systems as "Symphonies of Life". Resonant and dissonant patterns are symbolized with color circle lines and shapes in gray tones, respectively. Each symbol represents an agent with specific eigenfrequencies in a biological system. Different colors symbolize distinct self-similar eigenfrequency patterns emerging from individual eigenfrequencies in the system.image

Keywords

Anthropocene; biological systems; complex adaptive systems; emergent properties; quantum biology; resilience; resonance theory

Published in

BioEssays
2023, volume: 45, number: 11, article number: 2300113
Publisher: WILEY

SLU Authors

• Angeler, David

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Brain Capital Alliance
  • Deakin University
  • University of Nebraska Lincoln

UKÄ Subject classification

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (Methods development to be 10203)

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.202300113

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/126331