Sailing the Ocean of Complexity
Sauro Succi
Abstract
Abstract This books explores the enchanting role played by free energy in unveiling the complexity which inhabits the interface between physics and biology. In particular, it illustrates the guiding power of modern incarnations of free energy in steering the navigation of biological systems across an otherwise unsailable ocean of combinatorial complexity, with specific reference to two fundamental biological processesL DNA translocation and protein folding. The book develops unfolds through four major parts. Part I provides an account of the general organizing principles of complex systems, with specific focus on the physics-biology interface. Part II discusses the science of change, Thermodynamics, first in its historical developments, then its modern developments into the biological and also cosmological framework. Part III deals with the wondrous scenarios opened up by free-energy as it meets with the modern tools of statistical physics, ultradimensional landscapes, order parameters and rugged landscapes Finally, Part IV discusses the deep connections between Time and Complexity, in particular the idea that Time can possibly be experienced only by systems beyond a given threshold of complexity. We conclude with some considerations on the awareness of the finiteness of time and its impact on the complexity of the human condition.