Physical limits of natural computation as the biological constraints of morphogenesis, evolution, and consciousness: On the 100th anniversary of Efim Liberman (1925-2011).
Bio Systems May 1, 2025 Abir U Igamberdiev, Nikita E Shklovskiy-Kordi
Efim Liberman proposed in 1972 that living systems perform natural computation internally, guided by physical principles and constraints. Fundamental physical constants set universal limits, while biological systems have specific constraints that evolution can overcome. Biological macromolecules, especially the cytoskeleton, shape patterns formed during internal measurement in living systems. Cytoskeletal rearrangements drive cellular, morphogenetic, and perceptual transformations and participate in genetic events leading to evolutionary change. Neurons transmit signals via the cytoskeleton, producing digital outputs decoded by the perceiving agent. Liberman's principles of natural computation are fundamental to life and underpin theories of metabolic closure, morphogenesis, evolution, and consciousness.