Out-Douging Earth: A Journey Through Life and Thermodynamics
Written on
Celebrating Towel Day
Towel Day is observed globally on May 25th each year. The inaugural Towel Day took place in Innsbruck in 2001, just two weeks following the passing of Douglas Adams. This location holds special significance, as it was here that Adams claimed to have drawn inspiration for his iconic work, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
Reflections on Douglas Adams
It has been over two decades since Douglas Adams departed from this world, yet his humor continues to resonate with me. As a young adult, his insights provided solace in an absurd world where I often felt out of place. I was unaware that my true community awaited me beyond the confines of my environment.
In those bleak times, Adams' unique perspective on absurdity was crucial to my survival. Approaching my sixtieth birthday, I have spent decades contemplating physics and mathematics, inspired by the "Hitchhikers" series from the early 1980s. Utilizing the intellectual frameworks developed over millennia by humanity's finest thinkers, I have come to a realization.
Douglas Adams was undeniably correct. No, genuinely.
During a delightful viewing of the 2005 film adaptation of "Hitchhiker's," I found myself pondering a fascinating question: What if we took Adams' ideas to heart and attempted to compute life itself from scratch? What would it entail to assemble the fundamental components of the universe—like quarks and electrons—into the intricate tapestry of life that enriches our planet?
What if we, in our arrogance, believed we could surpass the wonders of Earth? What might a top-down simulation of life look like, designed purely from raw materials?
Thermodynamics and information theory provide specific insights into the energy and complexity of algorithms required for such an endeavor. These disciplines allow us to explore how much energy and computational time would theoretically be necessary.
The question arises: Can we truly outdo Earth? Can we achieve more than what Nature has orchestrated?
Once we delve into these calculations, they amplify my admiration and love for our extraordinary planet. It becomes abundantly clear that, despite our most advanced technologies, we are far from achieving the capability to replicate Earth's magnificence.
In essence, when Deep Thought in "Hitchhikers" failed to discern the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, it was justified in establishing Earth as an evolutionary computer. For beings like us, there appears to be no viable alternative to "designing" life from scratch.
I have always held a profound love for our Earth and its myriad creatures, as well as an acute sense of sorrow for the neglect we often show towards the natural world that sustains us. The notion that we need to explore outer space for a backup plan when we ruin our planet is misguided. The technological challenges of living sustainably on our perfect planet are significantly less daunting than terraforming a foreign, inhospitable one.
Even I was astonished by the outcomes of my calculations, which further underscore the beauty and rarity of life. The results I will discuss are theoretical; current computing technologies fall dramatically short of the efficiency necessary.
The Landauer Limit, a concept I will frequently reference, sets a baseline for the energy required for computation. Presently, our technology demands six to seven orders of magnitude more energy than this theoretical minimum. The figures I will present, while still enormous, are up to ten million times less than what we currently use.
In future articles, we will delve into the implications of the Landauer Limit. While technological advancements may reduce our energy consumption by three orders of magnitude, it is unlikely we will ever reach efficiency levels exceeding four orders of magnitude from this limit.
Life processes, when viewed through the lens of computation, require energy levels that are only marginally above the Landauer Limit—still far below what our current technology can achieve.
Understanding the Computational Needs of Life
I won't simply provide answers without context. I will guide you through the mathematics, physics, and philosophy necessary to explore the computational energy required to "design" life from scratch.
We will examine concepts such as entropy and Kolmogorov complexity from an information theory perspective. Along the way, we will encounter remarkable historical figures like Claude Shannon, John von Neumann, and Ralf Landauer.
Unfortunately, the narrative lacks representation from many women scientists, a disparity we hope to rectify in the 21st century.
We will navigate the modern principles of thermodynamics and their implications for computation, including Maxwell's Daemon and Szilard's Engine, alongside the Landauer Limit.
We cannot overlook biology in our quest to understand the energy and computational demands of Earth. Did you know that the estimated total number of cells in all life on our planet is 10³¹? That's a staggering figure—seven orders of magnitude greater than Avogadro's number!
As we embark on this journey, I invite you to relax and enjoy a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster as we explore: Can We Out-Doug the Earth?
When you're ready, let's move on to Part 2: What is Entropy, Really?