Fractal Analyses of Macromolecules

Abstract

Life on our planet is a manifestation of light-element—especially carbon—chemistry. As we know from nature around us, the organization of natural things requires storage of information. This information storage and transmission (through evolution) is of chemical nature and stored in the molecules (as a molecular computer). The chemistry of living matter is, in addition, characterized by a sophisticated degree of molecular complexity, i.e., a very precise information content. In this respect there is no difference between the smallest viruses and the most advanced animals: nucleic acids and proteins and the most advanced animals: nucleic acids and proteins are fundamental to both. Furthermore, the capacity for generating, storing, replicating, and utilizing large amounts of information implies an underlying molecular complexity that is known only among compounds found in the biological world (mainly based on carbon). The information that is referred to here (Calvin, 1969) (and is stored as chemical information) is of much larger dimension than is available in any supercomputer. For example, a protein molecule such as hemoglobin (molecular weight of 68,000) may take millions of years to develop, in order to function as a carrier for the transport of oxygen in the blood.