The cell's self-generated "electrome": The biophysical essence of the immaterial dimension of Life?
Communicative & Integrative Biology January 1, 2016 Arnold De Loof
Immaterial phenomena such as thoughts, consciousness, and the soul can exist without invoking esoteric mechanisms, grounded in two well-established but undervalued physiological processes. The first is the electrical dimension of living entities, termed the 'electrome,' encompassing all ionic currents from cellular to organismal levels; irreversible loss of this electrical activity defines cell death. The second is communication via sender-receiver entities that handle information, which itself is immaterial (has no mass). Both mechanisms are essential for cellular functioning, particularly for the cognitive memory system, with ionic/electrical currents along the cytoskeleton likely playing a key but overlooked role. The paper aims to initiate a discussion platform for developing an integrating vocabulary and experimental approaches.