Quantum gravitation as an explanation for the different chemistries of living and inanimate matter

If gravitationally dark hydrogen and valence bonds are relevant to biology, their effects should distinguish between matter in vivo, gel phase and matter in vitro. The difference should be especially clear at physiological temperatures. Is there any empirical evidence for the deviations from what is inspected on the basis of the standard biochemical intuition?

The interactions between DNA metal ions present living matter could serve as a test for the proposal. In the TGD framework, both metal ions and DNA could be gravitationally dark (in vivo or gel phase) or ordinary (in vitro phase).

1. For the DNA and metal ions as they are usually understood, the phosphate ions (PO₄)^- of DNA should have interactions with metal ions and the concentrations should affect the properties of DNA. This should be true both in vivo and in vitro.
2. In the TGD framework, DNA strand in vivo and in gel phase would be accompanied by a dark DNA strand. The phosphate ions (PO₄)^- would be replaced with pseudo-ions (PO₄)^"-", in the sense that the ion O^- would be replaced with agravitationally hydrogen bonded structure O...H-O-H such that the HB carries a gravitationally dark proton delocalized in a very long scale. The effective negative charge would be associated with OH^"-" pseudo ion rather than being a real negative charge assignable to O.

   Outside the physiological temperature range and in vitro, the oxygen ion would be real and the situation would be as in the standard chemistry apart from the possible effects of darkness of metal ions. The simplest assumption is that both metal ions and DNA are dark at the same temperature range only.

3. (Gravitationally) dark metal ions of type X⁺⁺ would also have a dark valence electron at flux tube. One can speak of dark salt since flux tube bonds would connect X with H₂O₂. Same applies to Cooper pairs of dark ions X⁺.

   The phosphate of DDNA-DNA pair has Coulomb interaction with neither ordinary nor dark ions but the metal ion would interact with OH^"-". This suggests that the presence of metal ions does, and ions in general, has no strong effect on the DNA properties in vivo. Besides realizing genetic code, dark DNA would shield the system from the perturbations caused by various ions.

4. Experimentally this seems to be the case. Most interactions between DNA and ions are modelled and studied experimentally in dilute water solutions. According to the following article, under these conditions the DNA interaction with charged ligands, the helix-coil transition temperature, and other DNA properties are strongly dependent on the low-molecular-weight salt concentration, see the same article and references therein. However, for condensed DNA states (fibers, gels) or in vivo, similar characteristics are often independent of or only slightly dependent on the ionic composition of the solvent.

See the article Quantum gravitation and quantum biology in TGD Universe or the chapter with the same title.

For a summary of earlier postings see Latest progress in TGD.

Articles and other material related to TGD.