∙ Quanta Magazine analyzes the principles of macroscopic world formation through quantum decoherence and quantum Darwinism. ∙ 'Einselection' fixes specific quantum states… similar to how life preserves information. ∙ Integrating quantum biology from physical and philosophical perspectives, redefining the fundamental principles of life's information processing. [Quantum Biology Society] An in-depth analysis has been proposed on how the bizarre phenomena of quantum mechanics transform into the solid macroscopic reality we observe, and what connection this process has with the evolution of life. Recently, the science media outlet Quanta Magazine reported through a contribution by renowned science writer Philip Ball that the theories of 'Quantum Darwinism' and 'Decoherence,' pioneered by physicist Wojciech Zurek, are the key to connecting biological systems with the macroscopic world. ■ The Reality of 'Survival of the Fittest' Created by 'Einselection' In the quantum realm, particles can exist in multiple states simultaneously (superposition), but in the macroscopic world we observe, they appear in only one definite state. According to Dr. Zurek's theory, this happens because quantum systems continuously interact with their surrounding environment, undergoing a process of 'decoherence' where information is dissipated. The core of this process is 'Einselection' (Environment-Induced Superselection). The environment does not accommodate all states; instead, it selects only the most stable and predictable states, known as 'pointer states,' and replicates them innumerably within the environment. Just as only the genetic information advantageous for survival is passed on and spreads in natural selection, the essence of 'Quantum Darwinism' is that quantum information also undergoes a 'survival of the fittest' process dictated by the environment. This ultimately forms an objective macroscopic reality that all of us can commonly perceive. ■ Life, a Product of Evolution that Anchors Quantum Information into Reality Philip Ball noted that these physical principles are strikingly similar to the way biological systems process information. He explains that the vital activities of living organisms—such as recognizing external stimuli, preserving genetic information, and controlling complex metabolic processes—are fundamentally the very processes of filtering meaningful information from quantum superpositions and anchoring them into the physical states of the real world. This report suggests that quantum biology is not merely a discipline that investigates microscopic reactions within cells. Rather, it is a grand unified theory explaining how life has utilized the universe's fundamental principles to process information and evolve. Built upon the theories of Dr. Zurek, a master of modern physics, this analysis presents a new philosophical and physical paradigm that views life as a cosmic entity where matter, information, and quantum mechanics are perfectly integrated.
∙ Quanta Magazine analyzes the principles of macroscopic world formation through quantum decoherence and quantum Darwinism. ∙ 'Einselection' fixes specific quantum states… similar to how life preserves information. ∙ Integrating quantum biology from physical and philosophical perspectives, redefining the fundamental principles of life's information processing. [Quantum Biology Society] An in-depth analysis has been proposed on how the bizarre phenomena of quantum mechanics transform into the solid macroscopic reality we observe, and what connection this process has with the evolution of life. Recently, the science media outlet Quanta Magazine reported through a contribution by renowned science writer Philip Ball that the theories of 'Quantum Darwinism' and 'Decoherence,' pioneered by physicist Wojciech Zurek, are the key to connecting biological systems with the macroscopic world. ■ The Reality of 'Survival of the Fittest' Created by 'Einselection' In the quantum realm, particles can exist in multiple states simultaneously (superposition), but in the macroscopic world we observe, they appear in only one definite state. According to Dr. Zurek's theory, this happens because quantum systems continuously interact with their surrounding environment, undergoing a process of 'decoherence' where information is dissipated. The core of this process is 'Einselection' (Environment-Induced Superselection). The environment does not accommodate all states; instead, it selects only the most stable and predictable states, known as 'pointer states,' and replicates them innumerably within the environment. Just as only the genetic information advantageous for survival is passed on and spreads in natural selection, the essence of 'Quantum Darwinism' is that quantum information also undergoes a 'survival of the fittest' process dictated by the environment. This ultimately forms an objective macroscopic reality that all of us can commonly perceive. ■ Life, a Product of Evolution that Anchors Quantum Information into Reality Philip Ball noted that these physical principles are strikingly similar to the way biological systems process information. He explains that the vital activities of living organisms—such as recognizing external stimuli, preserving genetic information, and controlling complex metabolic processes—are fundamentally the very processes of filtering meaningful information from quantum superpositions and anchoring them into the physical states of the real world. This report suggests that quantum biology is not merely a discipline that investigates microscopic reactions within cells. Rather, it is a grand unified theory explaining how life has utilized the universe's fundamental principles to process information and evolve. Built upon the theories of Dr. Zurek, a master of modern physics, this analysis presents a new philosophical and physical paradigm that views life as a cosmic entity where matter, information, and quantum mechanics are perfectly integrated.
Core quantum postulates including the superposition principle and the unitarity of evolutions are natural and strikingly simple. I show that—when supplemented with a limited version of predictability (captured in the textbook accounts by the repeatability postulate)—these core postulates can account for all the symptoms of classicality. In particular, both objective classical reality and elusive information about reality arise, via quantum Darwinism, from the quantum substrate. This approach shares with the Relative State Interpretation of Everett the view that collapse of the wavepacket reflects perception of the state of the rest of the Universe relative to the state of observer’s records. However, our “let quantum be quantum” approach poses questions absent in Bohr’s Copenhagen Interpretation that relied on the preexisting classical domain. Thus, one is now forced to seek preferred, predictable, hence effectively classical but ultimately quantum states that allow observers keep reliable records. Without such (i) preferred basis relative states are simply “too relative”, and the ensuing basis ambiguity makes it difficult to identify events (e.g., measurement outcomes). Moreover, universal validity of quantum theory raises the issue of (ii) the origin of Born’s rule, pk=|ψk|2, relating probabilities and amplitudes (that is simply postulated in textbooks). Last not least, even preferred pointer states (defined by einselection—environment—induced superselection)—are still quantum. Therefore, unlike classical states that exist objectively, quantum states of an individual system cannot be found out by an initially ignorant observer through direct measurement without being disrupted. So, to complete the ‘quantum theory of the classical’ one must identify (iii) quantum origin of objective existence and explain how the information about objectively existing states can appear to be essentially inconsequential for them (as it does for states in Newtonian physics) and yet matter in other settings (e.g., thermodynamics). I show how the mathematical structure of quantum theory supplemented by the only uncontroversial measurement postulate (that demands immediate repeatability—hence, predictability) leads to preferred states. These (i) pointer states correspond to measurement outcomes. Their stability is a prerequisite for objective existence of effectively classical states and for events such as quantum jumps. Events at hand, one can now enquire about their probability—the probability of a pointer state (or of a measurement record). I show that the symmetry of entangled states—(ii) entanglement—assisted invariance or envariance—implies Born’s rule. Envariance also accounts for the loss of phase coherence between pointer states. Thus, decoherence can be traced to symmetries of entanglement and understood without its usual tool—reduced density matrices. A simple and manifestly noncircular derivation of pk=|ψk|2 follows. Monitoring of the system by its environment in course of decoherence typically leaves behind multiple copies of its pointer states in the environment. Only pointer states can survive decoherence and can spawn such plentiful information-theoretic progeny. This (iii) quantum Darwinism allows observers to use environment as a witness—to find out pointer states indirectly, leaving systems of interest untouched. Quantum Darwinism shows how epistemic and ontic (coexisting in epiontic quantum state) separate into robust objective existence of pointer states and detached information about them, giving rise to extantons—composite objects with system of interest in the core and multiple records of its pointer states in the halo comprising of environment subsystems (e.g., photons) which disseminates that information throughout the Universe.
Quantum Darwinism demonstrates not only that preferred states are selected for their stability but also that information about them is broadcast by the same environment that causes decoherence and einselection. That environment acts both as a censor and as an advertising agent that disseminates information about pointer states while suppressing complementary information. Chapter 8 explores the implications and limitations of quantum Darwinism using models inspired by the structure of the Universe we inhabit. We perceive our Universe using light and other means of information transmission. We explore models that have a well-defined relation with our everyday reality, and where one can also selectively relax some of the idealized assumptions and investigate the consequences. Light is the communication channel through which we obtain most of our information. Fortunately, it is an ideal channel in the sense of quantum Darwinism, and simple but realistic cases are exactly solvable. The solution presented herein demonstrates the inevitability of the consensus between observers who rely on scattered photons: The emergence of classical objective reality (classical because pointer states are einselected, and objective because redundancy imposes consensus) is inevitable. This is how the classical world we perceive emerges from within the quantum Universe we inhabit.
• Published in PLOS One, reinterpreting DNA not as classical chemical bonds but as an open quantum system continuously interacting with the external environment. • Presents a theoretical framework where quantum tunneling, wave functions, and macroscopic quantum entanglement regulate the directionality of genetic mutations and increase survival fitness under environmental stress. • An innovative model demonstrating that genetic evolution is not driven by simple random chemical variations, but by a highly synchronized quantum mechanical probability distribution system within the cell. [Quantum Biology Society] Since Charles Darwin, the evolution of living organisms has been explained within the classical biological framework of random mutation and natural selection. However, a groundbreaking study has recently been published that reinterprets the mechanisms of genetic information preservation and evolution beyond the perspective of classical chemical bonds into subatomic quantum physics, delivering a fresh shock to the academic community. A paper titled "DNA as a quantum system in evolution," published in the March 2026 issue of the international journal PLOS One, identified DNA not merely as an information storage medium but as an open quantum system continuously communicating with the environment. Researcher Nahuel Aquiles Garcia, who conducted this single-author study, newly analyzed DNA dynamics through a quantum-informational model, presenting groundbreaking insights into the evolutionary process of living organisms. ■ An Open Quantum System Communicating with the Environment The researcher explained that DNA, the genetic material of living organisms, functions not as an isolated chemical molecule but as an open quantum system constantly interacting with minute energy changes in the external environment. According to this framework, changes in the minute wave function, quantum tunneling, and macroscopic quantum entanglement phenomena occurring within DNA directly affect the genetic behavior of living organisms. ■ Directionality of Mutations Beyond Randomness The most interesting part is the redefinition of how genetic mutations occur under environmental stress. From the existing Darwinian perspective, mutations were considered the result of blind and random chemical errors. However, the new quantum biological model suggests that the complex energy fields within the cell and the highly synchronized quantum mechanical probability distribution system between molecules can specifically regulate the directionality of mutations. In other words, quantum phenomena can microscopically guide evolutionary pressure in a direction that increases the survival fitness of the organism. ■ A New Paradigm in Evolutionary Biology This study is a bold and innovative biophysical achievement demonstrating that genetic evolution might not simply be the product of blind chance, but an elegant process fundamentally driven and orchestrated by the laws of quantum physics. This new paradigm, which integrates classical biology and quantum mechanics in unlocking the secrets of the origin and evolution of life, is expected to open completely new horizons of research across genetics and the life sciences in the future.
Zurek’s “quantum Darwinism” and its translation into the evolution of adaptive systems In this work I justify a scheme that favors a non-reductive integration between physical and biological approaches based on the notion of information as interpretation. I start with a discussion on the cross fertilization and feedbacks between physics and biology for it helps to explain Maxwells demon metaphor as a forerunner of a notion of information applicable to the problem of biological adaptation that is best conceived today as information gathering and using systems (IGUS) in the sense of Zurek. It is shown how IGUS by means of measurements generate informative correlations between micro-states (genotype) and macro-states (phenotype), and between macro-states (phenotype) and environment. I further examine Zureks decoherence theory dubbed “quantum Darwinism” according to which the environment eliminates most of the superpositions of quantum systems leaving only a set of preferred states, among which are chosen those that are in fact realized in the classical world. In this view IGUS are equated to non-conscious agents of quantum measurement, a posture that modifies Copenhagen interpretation without falling into the difficulties of the “many worlds” interpretation. I, thus, propose that in order to tackle the problem of biological adaptation, it would be important to understand information as IGUS’ interpretative activity thought as physical and/or biological systems that actualize an organizing potential in accordance to an “internal model” of systems environment interactions, so that they interpret physical perturbations as informative signals that orient structural adjustments to be adopted and the actions that are projected to the external milieu. To end up I show how this model may serve to account for the origin of adaptive mutations in bacteria and to formally describe developing epigenetic systems. In this way the classical debate between Lamarckian and Darwinian schools must be reframed and perhaps superseded as the new scheme of interpretation is validated with more experimental evidence. To conclude I argue that semiosis is the clue to justify the deep analogy that allows to establishing bidirectional bridges between physical and biological models of adaptive evolution. key words. Quantum Darwinism, Neo-Lamarckism, natural selection, information, IGUS, adaptation, coherence, superposition, entanglement, sign, observer, measurement, ci Copenhagen interpretation, many worlds interpretation, epigenetics.
The emergence of the classical world from the quantum substrate of our Universe is a long-standing conundrum. In this paper, I describe three insights into the transition from quantum to classical that are based on the recognition of the role of the environment. I begin with the derivation of preferred sets of states that help to define what exists—our everyday classical reality. They emerge as a result of the breaking of the unitary symmetry of the Hilbert space which happens when the unitarity of quantum evolutions encounters nonlinearities inherent in the process of amplification—of replicating information. This derivation is accomplished without the usual tools of decoherence, and accounts for the appearance of quantum jumps and the emergence of preferred pointer states consistent with those obtained via environment-induced superselection, or einselection . The pointer states obtained in this way determine what can happen—define events—without appealing to Born’s Rule for probabilities. Therefore, p k =| ψ k | 2 can now be deduced from the entanglement-assisted invariance, or envariance —a symmetry of entangled quantum states. With probabilities at hand, one also gains new insights into the foundations of quantum statistical physics. Moreover, one can now analyse the information flows responsible for decoherence. These information flows explain how the perception of objective classical reality arises from the quantum substrate: the effective amplification that they represent accounts for the objective existence of the einselected states of macroscopic quantum systems through the redundancy of pointer state records in their environment—through quantum Darwinism . This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Foundations of quantum mechanics and their impact on contemporary society’.