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Mae-Wan Ho
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Rainbow And The Worm, The: The Physics Of Organisms (3Rd Edition) 3rd Revised ed. Edition

by Mae Wan Ho (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 104 ratings
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This highly unusual book began as a serious inquiry into Schrödinger,s question, "What is life? ", and as a celebration of life itself. It takes the reader on a voyage of discovery through many areas of contemporary physics, from non-equilibrium thermodynamics and quantum optics to liquid crystals and fractals, all necessary for illuminating the problem of life. In the process, the reader is treated to a rare and exquisite view of the organism, gaining novel insights not only into the physics, but also into "the poetry and meaning of being alive." This much-enlarged third edition includes new findings on the central role of biological water in organizing living processes; it also completes the author's novel theory of the organism and its applications in ecology, physiology and brain science.
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  1. ISBN-10
    9812832602
  2. ISBN-13
    978-9812832603
  3. Edition
    3rd Revised ed.
  4. Publisher
    Wspc
  5. Publication date
    August 6, 2008
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6 x 0.96 x 9 inches
  8. Print length
    408 pages
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wspc; 3rd Revised ed. edition (August 6, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 408 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9812832602
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9812832603
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.96 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 104 ratings

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Mae-Wan Ho

Mae-Wan Ho

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
104 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

George Haines
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Explanation for Life
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2019
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This book is truly amazing. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho synthesizes different branches of science into one coherent theory that explains what “life” actually means. Physics, biology, and chemistry all combine to give a full picture of the ways our systems communicate with each other and regulate and adapt to changes. The first half of the book is more formula-laden and dense but you don’t need a degree in science to understand the concepts if you read carefully and take your time. The second half is written more in plain English and also probably more controversial as she builds on the science at the start to draw conclusions and speculate about what this all means. I might not agree with all of her conclusions but she is an amazing mind and she managed to explain her thoughts in a very understandable way for a general audience. This is easily one of the best science books I have ever read. I only wish that Mae-Wan Ho was still alive so I could see her speak somewhere.
16 people found this helpful
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John Read
5.0 out of 5 stars In-depth nature of our physical existence
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2020
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Quantum biology. This work provides the best view I've seen of physical life in context of the physical universe in its totality. It includes the systems chemistry, quantum mechanics, and cosmology. Second to none. Intellectually equivalent to Erwin Schrödinger's What Is Life? (Though I far prefer his writing style.)

Mae wan Ho's understanding of the fractal nature and geometry of space-time puts us in a very different perspective than when one reads a typical Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics. Using Schrödinger, David Bohm, L. Nottale, Einstein & others, this work describes Quantum Coherence and Structural Identities, and employs Nottale's geometric tool to construct a viewpoint of ourselves in fractal space-time’, and enables us to describe Einstein’s principle of relativity in scale transformations. Specifically, the physical equations keep their form under scale transformation, i.e., exhibit scale covariance (or self-similarity over different scales). In this, the ground state for scale covariance can begin as we choose, including quantum levels, and/or our individual waveform configurations (us as individuals).

Normally I would remove one star from my rating because of the grammatical quality of her writing, in which she mixes chemical formulas and mathematics into English sentences. But the substance DEMANDS five stars and more.
16 people found this helpful
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Norman Orr
5.0 out of 5 stars Not just a pretty cover with a catchy title.
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2014
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If you're a "hide-bound", hard-core scientist (one who believes phenomena shouldn't be discussed unless they can be mathematically quantifiable ((a socially constructed bias (((the bias part is solidly confirmed by current neuroscience)))), you'll "pho-pho" this book. If, however, you are interested in an integrative approach to scientific concepts which may explain much of what is considered "unexplainable" about why organisms (including humans) work as they do, this book will delight you. The science is solid (with the exception noted above), but innovative. And even if you're not totally convinced by the arguments, just mount the book on the wall as a poster and appreciate the glorious colors and images. I found it delightful in many ways.
13 people found this helpful
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A.Luther
4.0 out of 5 stars Is Life a Quantum Process?
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2020
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A somewhat incongruent read in that most of the book displays the author's highly specific and technical knowledge of biochemistry while aspects of the book in later chapters branch out into some vaguer ideas regarding life, consciousness, physics and even the question of Free Will. The author contends that biological organisms maintain a negentropic state of structural coherence. Her speculation is that this structural coherence is maintained thanks to the liquid crystal nature of biological cells that enable the coherent, transfer of energy across different scales of energy, space and time, thus maintaining energetic equilibrium and avoiding entropic dissipation. There is some relatively technical references to biological processes, energy transfer via quantum tunnelling, quantum coherence/entanglement etc. and discussion on the notion of thermodynamic entropy and the like, but an interested lay reader should not feel too overwhelmed. There is certainly enough explanation for most readers to get a feel for the concepts involved. In a later chapter, Ho gives an interesting account of the subjective nature of the technical notion of entropy, that is, how we calculate the entropy of a physical system is dependent on our knowledge regarding the state the of the system. Living organisms, Ho contends, know intrinsically, the energetic/informational states of their own systems. This is an intriguing idea, although the question of the connection between knowledge or 'knowing' as we subjectively experience it and information entropy as used by engineers and other scientists, is still not an entirely clear one. I think a solution to mystery of consciousness can only explain it and who knows if there is a 'solution' to this mystery? Anyone who has read Schrodinger's book, "What is Life?" can appreciate that Ho is making a serious attempt to extend and elaborate on Schrodinger's question. I would have like to have known further details regarding Ho's thoughts on the notion of quantum information and quantum computing? I suspect that her interpretation of Quantum Theory is a "Bohmian" one and I would have been intrigued to know whether she ascribed to David Bohm's notion of the "implicate order." Perhaps her ideas on these matters are elaborated in one of her many papers cited in the book?
15 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Leoni
5.0 out of 5 stars Genial!
Reviewed in Brazil on June 21, 2019
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Um livro genial e atemporal!
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PIKHull
5.0 out of 5 stars A modern view on life
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 14, 2014
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A magical view of life, from how the body outwits the laws of thermodynamics to body water acting as liquid crystal. A must read for anyone wanting a modern view of organisms.
3 people found this helpful
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Lesley G
5.0 out of 5 stars Rainbow
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2017
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Arrived very quickley in immaculate condition. Brilliant thankyou.
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Smarts
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 20, 2016
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Finally, someone actually talking sense!
One person found this helpful
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brokate
3.0 out of 5 stars like the laws of thermodynamics or the double-slit experiment
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 12, 2015
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The rainbow and the worm: review

The book contain many valuable and fascinating insights. To describe an organism as liquid cristall far from thermodynamic equilibrium, is just fascinating.
A major problem however is, that it is not clear, whom the book is aimed at: the lay-person or the scientist?
At the beginning of each chapter Mae-Wan Ho repeats in short form the conventional scientific knowledge, like the laws of thermodynamics or the double-slit experiment, including a good number of formulas. For the layman this is too fast, for the scientist boring. This effort of starting at the basics first, makes the whole book very plodding. She does so in an effort to be precise and logical – but it makes the book a hard read.
This effort at precision also does not always hold up to the intent. How is it that a body is an electrodynamical continuum? Prof Popp - with whom she collaborated – maintains that only certain frequencies are used in a body and therefore biologically relevant. Another example is, that one is also left wondering, whether entropy now contains information or not according to the author.
Questions are left open: like “an individual is simply a field of coherent activity…………………..hence instantaneous communication can occur” (p.327) Instantaneous or with the speed of light? That makes a vast difference.

A great shame is the fact, that the mentioned DVD is not part of the book, nor is available on amazon.uk or otherwise to be tracked down. It would have been too fascinating to see those interference pictures.

All in all worthwhile, but difficult read.
3 people found this helpful
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