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Evolution has exploited many aspects of nature. It is counterintuitive in some ways that it would leave quantum computation off the table just because it is con

Evolution has exploited many aspects of nature. It is counterintuitive in some ways that it would leave quantum computation off the table just because it is confusing to our ape brains.

odyssey7 4y ago
Agreed —- If there’s a way of leveraging it effectively, then evolution will do so, somewhere. My guess is that the brain isn’t unique from other tissues on this.
- mannykannot 4y ago
  > If there’s a way of leveraging it effectively... Those ways are quite heavily constrained by needing to start with what is already available, and for each step to be both heritable and reproductively advantageous.
BoppreH 4y ago
Quantum computing as we know it requires extreme isolation from the environment, usually in the form of vacuum, RF shielding, and extremely low temperatures. I'm skeptical of a wet warm mass achieving it. There are many aspects of nature that we have a good grasp on and evolution has failed to exploit, either at all or at non-insect scales. For example nuclear fission and fusion, neutrino detection, radioactivity, radio communication, superconductivity, and even some low-tech ones like chemical explosives, high speed projectiles, metalworking, cooking, lighter-than-air flight...
- gus_massa 4y ago
  I agree, very good list. I was just wondering about animals with a methane balloon. It doesn't look impossible. Fish has an air balloon to avoid going to the bottom, so a similar design may be possible.
- osigurdson 4y ago
  Metalworking and cooking aren’t exactly fundamental properties of nature.
  - BoppreH 4y ago
    Part of those activities is sociocultural, but they are grounded in physical benefits. "High heat makes many nutrients more bioavailable", and "some metals and alloys have excellent mechanical strength compared to organic materials", sound like perfectly good aspects of nature to me.
    - osigurdson 4y ago
      The fact that cooking and metal working are beneficial to humans does not make them a fundamental property of nature. The article is about quantum computation.
jvm___ 4y ago
Does nature use radio waves? Can anything sense or transmit them in a meaningful way?
- osigurdson 4y ago
  Yes, our eyes capture EMR.
  - osigurdson 4y ago
    The fact that we make use of 420-750 THz EMR is uninteresting to people it seems. Presumably it would be much more interesting if we used 2.4GHz like wifi and microwave ovens.

Evolution has exploited many aspects of nature. It is counterintuitive in some ways that it would leave quantum computation off the table just because it is confusing to our ape brains.

odyssey7 4y ago

Agreed —- If there’s a way of leveraging it effectively, then evolution will do so, somewhere. My guess is that the brain isn’t unique from other tissues on this.

mannykannot 4y ago
> If there’s a way of leveraging it effectively... Those ways are quite heavily constrained by needing to start with what is already available, and for each step to be both heritable and reproductively advantageous.

BoppreH 4y ago

Quantum computing as we know it requires extreme isolation from the environment, usually in the form of vacuum, RF shielding, and extremely low temperatures. I'm skeptical of a wet warm mass achieving it. There are many aspects of nature that we have a good grasp on and evolution has failed to exploit, either at all or at non-insect scales. For example nuclear fission and fusion, neutrino detection, radioactivity, radio communication, superconductivity, and even some low-tech ones like chemical explosives, high speed projectiles, metalworking, cooking, lighter-than-air flight...

gus_massa 4y ago
I agree, very good list. I was just wondering about animals with a methane balloon. It doesn't look impossible. Fish has an air balloon to avoid going to the bottom, so a similar design may be possible.
osigurdson 4y ago
Metalworking and cooking aren’t exactly fundamental properties of nature.
- BoppreH 4y ago
  Part of those activities is sociocultural, but they are grounded in physical benefits. "High heat makes many nutrients more bioavailable", and "some metals and alloys have excellent mechanical strength compared to organic materials", sound like perfectly good aspects of nature to me.
  - osigurdson 4y ago
    The fact that cooking and metal working are beneficial to humans does not make them a fundamental property of nature. The article is about quantum computation.

jvm___ 4y ago

Does nature use radio waves? Can anything sense or transmit them in a meaningful way?

osigurdson 4y ago
Yes, our eyes capture EMR.
- osigurdson 4y ago
  The fact that we make use of 420-750 THz EMR is uninteresting to people it seems. Presumably it would be much more interesting if we used 2.4GHz like wifi and microwave ovens.