






































Microsoft Word - FiscalettiDavide2_V10N2


DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

67 

Article 
 

Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a  

Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 
 

Davide Fiscaletti
*
 

 

SpaceLife Institute, Italy 

Abstract 

A model of the origin of life in exoplanets as a phenomenon generated by a quantum potential of a 

three-dimensional quantum vacuum acting as a reservoir of heat is proposed, which implies that the 

probability of life in exoplanets is determined by the heat that describes the interaction between the 

living organism and its environment, the surface temperature of the planet and the fluctuations of the 

quantum vacuum energy density in the region into consideration. It is shown how, in this picture, not 

only the parameters of the planet and the star influence the habitability of a planet and the duration of 

the habitability, but also a quantum term associated with the action of the quantum potential of the 

vacuum which implies that life is a global non-local property which can transmit instantaneously from 

a region to another of the universe. 
 

Keywords: Origin of life, exoplanet, 3D quantum vacuum, quantum potential, non-local propery.  

 

 

1. Introduction 
 

For several decades, researchers have been studying exoplanets, including the so-called Earth-like 

planets, rocky planets with a radius between 1 and 1.75 times that of the Earth and whose orbit is 

located within the habitability zone of a similar star to the Sun, at a distance compatible with the 

presence of liquid water on the planet’s surface. Since the discovery of the planet 51 Pegasi b orbiting a 

solar-type star in 1995, several exoplanets have been discovered. Today, the number of confirmed 

exoplanets is about 4000 with over 600 planetary systems possessing more than one exoplanet and 

among them there are several Earth-like exoplanets. The search for exoplanets today certainly 

represents one of the most advanced frontiers of astrophysics, which stimulates scientists to use their 

resources in order to find biosignatures as well as technosignatures, in order to answer two crucial 

questions that humanity has been asking for millennia, namely "Are we alone in the universe?" and 

"What is the origin of life?". 

 

Habitability of an exoplanet can be defined as the potential of an environment (past or present) to 

support life of any kind and is thus a function of a multitude of environmental parameters whose study 

is influenced by the effects that biology has on these parameters. Despite the immense difficulties and 

challenges one has to face as regards the problem of identifying extraterrestrial life, the simplest way to 

treat this topic remains to search for “life as we know it” on a planet that shares the basic physical 

properties of the Earth. Water is conventionally regarded as one of the most essential requirements for 

                                                             
*
Correspondence: Davide Fiscaletti, SpaceLife Institute, San Lorenzo in Campo (PU), Italy. E-mail: spacelife.institute@gmail.com 

  Note: This article was first published in 2020 in Scientific Journal Journal, 11(6): pp. 359-375. 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

68 

life on Earth by virtue of its unusual physicochemical properties [1]. As a consequence, many studies 

tend to adopt a “follow the water” approach, namely to search for planets where liquid water could 

exist on their surfaces. Since the pionieristic works of Hart [2, 3] till the more recent ones by Kasting et 

al. [4] and Kopparapu et al. [5], this “surface liquid water” criterion has been used to define the 

Habitable Zone as that range of distances from a parent star in which an Earth-like planet could 

maintain liquid water on its surface and so potentially host a surface biosphere. Although subsurface 

liquid water is entirely possible and may even be common — as suggested by the interior oceans of the 

icy moons in our Solar System — detecting that water, and any subsurface biosphere supported by it, is 

very difficult with remote-sensing telescopic observations. Consequently, the search for habitability 

and life on exoplanets will focus on telescopic observations of planetary atmospheres and surfaces, 

where a surface biosphere will be more apparent. In fact, another important condition which must be 

satisfied in order to guarantee the possibility of a planet to host life lies in the fact that the planet needs 

to retain an atmosphere since water ice transforms directly into gas phase in vacuum.  

 

On the basis of our current knowledge, one can utilize the term “habitable zone” in order to identify the 

region around a star where an orbiting planet has the highest probability of being detectably habitable, 

for remote-sensing studies. Although we do not currently have a means of observing markers of surface 

habitability on exoplanets, these capabilities are expected in the near future.  

 

On the other hand, the habitable zone of a planet depends not only on stellar properties but also a wide 

range of planetary properties. As the field of astrobiology develops, it is becoming clearer that multiple 

factors, characteristics and processes, can impact whether a planet can acquire and maintain liquid 

water on its surface. These include the properties of the planet (such as atmospheric composition, 

atmospheric escape/retention, volatile inventory and delivery, cycling of elements between surface and 

interior, planetary magnetic field, planet mass and size), star (which can include: stellar spectral energy 

distribution, activity, stellar winds, age, X-ray/ultraviolet emission, magnetic field, and stellar 

multiplicity) as well as planetary system (in particular, orbital architecture of planets in the system and 

the presence of giant planets), and how these factors interact over time [6].  

 

As regards the planet’s environment, its mass, radius, orbit, interior, surface and atmosphere are 

elements that affect its habitability. Once life has evolved on a habitable world, it becomes a planetary 

process that can also impact its environment [7-10]. 1.5 �⊙ radii is the upper limit for an exoplanet to 

be more likely to have a predominantly rocky composition [11-13]. A planet’s mass impacts planetary 

habitability in multiple ways, by providing radiogenic heating from long-lived radionuclides to drive 

internal heating and tectonics [14] as well as generation of a magnetic field [15], which is a key 

parameter that determines atmospheric retention [16-18]. Planetary mass, via planetary gravity, also 

rules atmospheric scale height, which can modify the rate the planet radiates to space, as well as its 

climate and the limits of the habitable zone [19]. The planetary orbital parameters, such as semi-major 

axis, eccentricity, obliquity, and rotation rate, affect planetary habitability through their control on the 

stellar radiation received by a planet over its orbit, and associated feedbacks on the climate system.  

 

An active and dynamic interior plays a crucial role in determining the habitability of a planet, by 

driving the generation of a magnetic field [20, 21] and outgassing [22], which are key factors in order 

to produce and maintain a secondary atmosphere. Magnetic fields are another important factor when 

considering the habitability of a planet, since they may protect planets from losing volatiles (such as 

water) through stellar wind interactions [16, 23, 17, 21, 24, 25], even if recent studies suggest that there 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

69 

is a  complex relationship between magnetic field and atmospheric escape, in terms also of the strength 

of the planet’s intrinsic magnetic field and the incoming stellar wind pressure [18].  

 

On the other hand, the host star’s features have a huge influence on a planet’s environment and 

habitability. Stellar mass and radius determine many of the star’s fundamental characteristics, such as 

temperature and lifetime. Stellar luminosity evolution drives strong climate change and may result in 

atmospheric or ocean loss, which is a compositional change and often a threat to habitability. The 

stellar spectrum and activity levels influence atmospheric escape and climate, provide the most 

abundant surface energy source for the majority of planets of the habitable zone, and photochemically 

modify the planet’s atmospheric composition. 

 

Moreover, also the interactions among the planet, its host star, and its planetary system constitute 

another category of factors that in part determine whether a planet is and can remain habitable. 

Radiative interactions with the host star can modify planetary atmospheric compositions by driving the 

photochemical production of aerosols or gas species. These modifications of the atmosphere 

subsequently affect planetary climate and the ultraviolet flux incident at the planet’s surface, both of 

which directly affect habitability. Gravitational interactions between the host star, planet and the 

planetary system can modify orbital properties which in turn modulate insolation levels and therefore 

climate. Gravitational interactions also may be responsible for late volatile deliveries from comets 

deflected into the inner part of stellar systems. Tidal interactions between bodies in the system can 

influence planetary interiors, ruling the magnetic dynamo and plate tectonics, both of which play 

significant roles in the maintenance and retention of secondary atmospheres on terrestrial planets.  

 

The characteristics and processes which play a relevant role regarding the maintenance of surface 

liquid water on a terrestrial planet are broad, interdisciplinary and interconnected, and both theoretical 

modelling and astronomical observations will be needed to understand them. At this time, our best 

first-order assessment method for establishing whether or not a planet is likely to be habitable has been 

to check whether a newly discovered exoplanet is in the size range that is likely to be terrestrial, and is 

in the habitable zone of its parent star. As we have said before, in the light of our current knowledge, 

we can say that habitability is maintained via the interplay of the planet, of the stellar and planetary 

system characteristics over the planet’s lifetime. In particular, within this new framework, R.K. 

Kopparapu, E.T. Wolf and V.S. Meadows have recently suggested that the habitable zone of a 

planetary system can be seen as a 2-dimensional slice in stellar type and semi-major axis through a 

multi-dimensional parameter space, that understanding how the balance between outgassing and 

atmospheric escape sculpts the resulting terrestrial planet atmosphere, and potentially replenishes an 

ocean, will be an important new frontier in terrestrial exoplanet evolution and habitability and that an 

interdisciplinary system science approach will be needed to fully explore the depth and complexity of 

planetary habitability [26].  

 

As regards the problem of determining the habitability of a exoplanet, by considering the detection of 

biosignatures (or technosignatures) on an Earth-like planet (a planet with basic physical parameters 

similar to Earth) orbiting (i) an arbitrary star with a general mass �∗, and (ii) a G-type star of 

approximately solar mass �⊕, in the recent paper “Optimal target stars in the search for life” Lingam 

and Loeb estimated the probability to find life in a given planet with the parameter: 

 
 ∝ �Ρ                                                                               (1) 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

70 

where � denotes denotes the probability that the chosen planet has life, and Ρ is the probability that the 

biosignatures arising from this exolife are detectable. Moreover, they compared the relative benefits of 

the strategies (i) and (ii) through the variable: 

 Δ = �⋆�⨀ = � �⋆�⨀� � �⋆�⨀�                                                                  (2) 

 

From (2) it derives that the value of Δ depends on the ratio: 

  � = �⋆�⨀                                                                               (3) 

 

which quantifies the ratio of the probabilities of life-bearing planets around stars of mass �∗ and �⨀. 

In order to provide an estimate of the value of �, which can be interpreted as the relative likelihood of 

life in a given planet, the most common procedure is to utilize physical constraints on habitability 

regarding bioactive ultraviolet radiation, magnetic fields, planetary magnetospheres, atmospheric 

erosion, water loss, which according to recent studies seem to indicate that life-bearing planets around 

M-dwarfs are likely to be rare with respect to Sun-like stars [27, 4, 28-30]. However, if one considers 

atmospheric escape driven by the stellar wind [31] as well other constraints (e.g. stellar ultraviolet 

radiation and lifetime) which can be incorporated in a similar fashion [32], the relative likelihood of 

life may be expressed as: 

 � ≈ � �⋆�⨀� � �⋆�⨀�                                                                          (4) 

 

where � denote the corresponding luminosity of the planet. 

 

In this paper our purpose is to suggest new scenarios as regards the estimate and interpretation of the 

quantity (3), introduced by Lingam and Loeb in order to evaluate the likelihood of life in a planet, 

inside a model of a three-dimensional quantum vacuum defined by RS processes of 

creation/annihilation of virtual particles occurring in correspondence to elementary energy density 

fluctuations. This paper is structured in the following way. In chapter 2 we will show in what sense the 

origin of life in an exoplanet is determined by a quantum potential of the three-dimensional quantum 

vacuum. In chapter 3 we will compute the probability of life in an exoplanet inside our model. Finally, 

in chapter 4 we summarize the results of the paper underlining the perspectives of our model. 

 

 

 

2. On the role of the quantum potential of the vacuum in the origin of life in a 

planet 
 

Our uncertainty about the origin of life can be associated with our ignorance in calculating the 

probability, for matter, to give place to a transition from non-living to living state. The knowledge of 

this parameter is important not only for understanding life on Earth, but also for estimating the 

distribution of life in the universe [33]. 

Today we have got a number of explicit models which provide clues regarding the emergence of life, 

and how the traditional tools of physics can help us to give a solution to this problem. However, we are 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

71 

far from a resolution to our question “How is it that life can emerge from non-living matter?”. Most 

work on fundamental properties of life focuses on the concept of information [34, 35] which plays an 

important role for quantitative theories of life’s origins too [36]. The mathematical relationship 

between Shannon and Boltzmann entropies suggests a potentially deep connection between information 

and thermodynamics [37]. This connection has been explored by substantial work over the last decade 

(see, for example, [38] for a recent review of this topic). On the other hand, Schrödinger was aware of 

the link between information and life in his considerations on biology, coining the term “negentropy” 

in order to describe life’s ability to seemingly violate the 2
nd

 law of thermodynamics. Yet, he still felt 

that something was missing and ultimately suggested the perspective that “other laws” might be 

necessary for the description of life [39].  

 

Von Neumann was one of the first to consider the possibility that information plays a key role in living 

systems [40]. He recognized that one cannot explain the origin of the complexity of living systems 

(which he hoped to emulate in artificial systems), in terms only of the copying information (even with 

mutation and selection), but at this purpose the concept of constructability must additionally be 

introduced [41]. Copying and construction as introduced by von Neumann are two fundamentally 

different physical processes, although they may ultimately lead to the same effective result, namely the 

reproduction of information stored in one physical media in another. In the case of copying, the 

information is replicated from one media to another of the same physical stuff (or nearly so) [42]. 

Constructors by contrast perform transformations on physical objects, such that one physical media 

may be transformed into another.  

 

The concept that living systems (and their artefacts) mediate transformations that do not violate known 

laws of physics, but are at the same time not predicted by them, may be considered as one of the most 

fundamental features of life, suggesting that an explanation for life does not lie in explaining the states 

themselves, but instead the paths [43]. This view is consistent with an emerging emphasis in 

nonequilibrium thermodynamics on trajectories rather than states. 

 

Marletto has recently underlined that an important feature of life is that life not only copies information 

but also uses it to construct itself and can utilize information to construct other objects [44]. This 

implies that, if one wants to model the origin of life, the concept of life as “information that copies 

itself” must be intended in the sense that “simple machines that can make slightly more complicated 

machines” [45]. In other words, one has to invoke the existence of non-trivial replicators that process 

information in an active sense, enabling the system’s dynamics to (in part) be directed by the current 

informational state (“program”) of the system. This is the key idea which underlies the philosophical 

concept of top-down causation [36, 35, 46].  

 

Living systems can be seen as embedded hierarchies, with complex flows of information between 

scales of organization [47] that do not generally permit this layer-by-layer decomposition of causation 

(information flows from 'higher' to 'lower' levels). That is, life could be regarded as a hierarchy of 

‘constructors’, or at least information flows that mediate which transitions occur and when. It is widely 

recognized that the procedure of coarse-graining (which defines some of the relevant “informational” 

degrees of freedom) plays a foundational role in how biological systems are structured, by defining the 

biologically relevant macrostates [48]. However, it is not clear how those macrostates arise, if they are 

objective or subjective [49], or whether they are in fact a fundamental aspect of biological organization.  

 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

72 

The emergence of life can be re-stated as a problem of explaining how (biological) hierarchies emerge 

(these should be distinguished, for example, from re-normalization group flows or other ‘hierarchies’ in 

physics, since in biology the individual 'levels' are not self-similar). The mechanisms through which 

topdown causation, if indeed it is a real and not just apparent property of nature, could operate in 

biology would most likely be through information (in an as yet unspecified manner) acting as a causal 

agent. The idea of information is itself abstract, but it must be emphasized that each bit of information 

is instantiated in physical degrees of freedom: “information is physical!”, if we want to use an icastic 

sentence of Rolf Landauer [50]. Whether fundamental or an epiphenomenon, the causal role of 

information in biology represents indeed one of the hardest explanatory problems for solving the 

origins of life. 

 

In [36] Walker and Davies presented a framework for understanding the origin of life as a transition in 

causal structure, and information management and control, whereby information gains causal efficacy 

over the matter it is instantiated in. The Walker and Davies approach suggests that a rigorous 

distinction between life and non-life is most likely to derive from the distinctive mode of information 

management and control displayed by living systems. While both the traditional digital-first and 

analogue-first viewpoints neglect the active (algorithmic or instructional) and distributed nature of 

biological information, in the Walker and Davies model, the real challenge of life’s origin is to explain 

how instructional information control systems emerge naturally and spontaneously from mere 

molecular dynamics and the key distinction between the origin of life and other ‘emergent’ transitions 

is the onset of distributed information control, enabling context-dependent causation, where an abstract 

and non-physical systemic entity (algorithmic information) effectively becomes a causal agent capable 

of manipulating its material substrate [46, 51].  

 

The advantage of this perspective is that it provides a foundation for identifying the origin of life as a 

well-defined transition, by shifting emphasis to the origins of information control, rather than, for 

example, the onset of Darwinian evolution or the appearance of autocatalytic sets. Walker’s and 

Davies’ approach also permits a broader view of life, where the same underlying principles would 

permit understanding of living systems instantiated in different chemical substrates (including 

potentially nonorganic substrates). But, how does this transition occur? What does it explain the 

distributed nature of biological information in living systems, where information gains causal efficacy 

over the matter it is instantiated in? 

 

While in Walker’s and Davies’ approach this transition shift in the efficacy of information gaining of 

living systems over matter remains an open question, the model of the there-dimensional (3D) quantum 

vacuum developed by the author in several papers [52-55] has the merit to introduce interesting 

perspectives about these issues. In particular, here a starting-point consideration is that processing 

systems with delocalized information are evolutionarily robust, in other words that there exists a 

delocalized information in the form of a non-local connection between living systems and the 

elementary vibratory states of the 3D quantum vacuum.  

 

Let us review briefly, before all, the essential features and results of the model of the 3D quantum 

vacuum. In the model proposed by the author in [52-55], all the events of our everyday life are the 

explicit manifestations of more elementary processes of a fundamental, deep arena, a three-dimensional 

(3D) timeless non-local quantum vacuum characterized by RS processes of creation/annihilation of 

virtual particles corresponding to opportune fluctuations of the quantum vacuum energy density. In this 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

73 

model, each material particle, which is revealed in the experiments, is associated to a specific excited 

state of the 3D quantum vacuum characterized by a diminishing of the quantum vacuum energy density 

)( qvEPEqvE    and corresponding to opportune elementary RS processes of creation/annihilation of 

virtual particles, where the Planck energy density: 

  

3

2

p

p

PE
l

cm 


                                                                         
(5)

 
 

defines the ground state of the vacuum and  

V

cm
PEqvE

2
                                                                      (6)  

is the energy density of quantum vacuum inside the particle, Pm  is Planck’s mass, � is the light speed 

and pl  is Planck’s length. Here, the RS processes of creation/annihilation of the virtual particles of the 

medium, which give rise to the appearance of a material particle of mass obtained from equation (6), 

can be described by a wave function � = �� ! at two components satisfying a time-symmetric 

extension of the Klein-Gordon quantum relativistic equation: 

  

0
0

0











C
H

H
                                                                  (7) 

where   







 2

2

2
2

qvE
c

V
H 


h . Equation (7) may be considered as the fundamental equation 

ruling the behaviour of the excited states of the 3D quantum vacuum. The crucial feature of the 3D 

quantum vacuum lies in its non-local character, which is associated with a quantum potential of the 

vacuum of the form: 

 




























































iQ

iQ

iQ

iQ

qvE

iQ

tc

tc

V

c
Q

,

,2

2

2

2

,

,2

2

2

2

22

22

,
1

1










h

                                                        (8) 

The quantum potential of the vacuum (8) is the fundamental entity which the guides, in a non-local 

way, the occurring of the processes of creation or annihilation in space.  

In the light of the results obtained in [56], the non-local information encoded in the 3D quantum 

vacuum is a crucial element which explains the origin of life, which explains the distinctive features of 

living systems, providing a rigorous distinction between life and non-life at a fundamental level. In this 

regard, the key element is represented by a quantum potential of the vacuum which has the role of 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

74 

generating an additional density of physical space in a living system. In other words, a quantum 

interaction between a living organism with its environment is generated which is determined by a 

quantum potential of the vacuum that acts as a heat reservoir, and this quantum potential of the vacuum 

acting as a heat reservoir produces an “additional density” of physical space in a living organism 

(living matter) with respect to inert matter. The quantum potential of the vacuum acting as a reservoir 

heat that is responsible for the origin of life in a planet, in the relativistic domain, is expressed by 

equation: 

" = ℏ$%$
&$'∆)*+,-$ ∇$/01ℏ2                                                                  (9) 

while in the non-relativistic domain is: 

" = − ℏ$%$4&∆)*+,
∇$/01ℏ2                                                                  (10) 

where ℏ5/2 is the average kinetic energy associated with the vibratory states of the 3D quantum 

vacuum and hfQ  is the heat that describes and regards the interaction between the living organism 

and its environment.  

By following Grössing’s thermodynamic approach to the quantum potential [57, 58], in our approach 

of a 3D non-local quantum vacuum as fundamental origin of physical processes, the quantum potential 

of the 3D quantum vacuum which rules the interaction between a living organism and its environment 

acts as a heat reservoir, as a thermal energy in the sense that generates the appearance of bio-photons 

which act non-locally in the environment itself. The instantaneous action of the bio-photons produced 

by the thermalized quantum potential of the vacuum implies that the distributions of the vibratory states 

in the environment under consideration contribute in their totality to the form of the heat distribution in 

the overall system and thus to the evolution of the living organism, leading to a promising perspective 

for a deeper understanding, in a global picture, of the origin of life in the universe. In other words, in 

our approach, we can say that the distributed nature of biological information in living systems, where 

information gains causal efficacy over the matter it is instantiated in, is determined just by the action of 

the quantum potential of the 3D quantum vacuum as a heat reservoir, that generates the appearance of 

bio-photons which act non-locally in the environment itself.  

We can therefore give the following answer as regards the transition in the causal structure, as regards 

the ability of information management and control, the origins of information control, inside living 

systems: these elements, which are distinctive of living systems, are generated just by the fact that the 

quantum potential of the vacuum, acting as a heat reservoir, produces an “additional density” of 

physical space in a living organism with respect to inert matter. The action of the quantum potential of 

the vacuum as a thermal energy which generates the appearance of bio-photons which act non-locally 

in the environment, explains in what sense information plays a key role in living systems, in what sense 

living systems are characterized by complex flows of information between scales of organization, in 

what sense life may be regarded as a hierarchy of ‘constructors’, or at least as information flows that 

mediate which transitions occur and when. The key of explanation of all these informational processes 

characterizing living systems lies in the quantum potential of the vacuum.  

Now, a fundamental consequence of this model is that the non-local action of the quantum potential of 

the vacuum makes life as a property that ultimately has a global feature, namely acts non-locally itself. 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

75 

In other words, we can say that, in the light of the quantum potential of the vacuum (27) (or (26)), life 

is a property of all universe, is a cosmic property.  

The non-local features of life may also be characterized by introducing an appropriate Bell length 

associated with the quantum potential of the vacuum (9): 

 ��899 = : ℏ$%$4∆)*+,&/                                                               (11) 

 

namely, 

 ��899 = :− %ℏ2∇$/01                                                              (12) 

 

namely, taking account of (9): 

��899 = :− 4%∆)*+,&;∇$/01                                                              (13) 

The condition " = 0, i.e. ��899 = ∞ provide the points where the action of the 3D quantum vacuum 

acting as a heat reservoir expressing the interaction between a living organism and its environment, 

namely where the additional density of physical space present in living matter, is delocalized, thus 

implying the evolution of life and equation (30) shows that this happens when:  

>2�∆?@AB C> ≥ >n∇4"FG>                                                        (14) 

Equation (14) is a plausible physical condition which, for a great number of RS processes of 

creation/annihilation of quanta corresponding to a great number n of virtual particles/antiparticles of 

the vacuum, practically occurs in a specific macroscopic volume V. This means in other words that the 

propagation of life in the universe, owed to the action of the thermalized quantum vacuum which 

functions as a heat reservoir, as a thermal energy which appear then as bio-photons which act non-

locally in the environment itself, occurs instantaneously in all the points of the universe, namely that 

life is indeed a global property which is able to transmit itself in the entire universe.  

Moreover, other relevant considerations may be made by taking account of the Metabolic Theory of 

Ecology. In the picture of the Metabolic Theory of Ecology several ecological parameters – such as the 

production and turnover of biomass, the rates of genetic divergence and speciation, species diversity 

and coexistence – are determined by the metabolic rate B of organisms given by: 

 
 ∝ HI/JKLM �− BNOP�                                                         (15) 

where H is the mass of the organism, Q� is the Boltzmann constant, R is the absolute temperature and S is the average activation energy which is associated to the appropriate rate-limiting step in 

metabolism [59]. Therefore, since here the activation energy S associated with the metabolism in a 

planet is ultimately generated the quantum potential of the vacuum acting as a reservoir heat which 

supports the interaction between the living organism and its environment, equation (15) can be 

opportunely expressed as: 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

76 


 ∝ �∆)*+,&%$ �I/J KLM T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP Z                                                    (16)  

As a consequence, taking account that for life as we know it in our planet, the Earth-referenced 

temperature-dependent likelihood function” 

  �P = KLM[−26,7_` − 1abc_R − R�ac_Rd − Ra                                            (17) 

 

(where c is the Heaviside function which assures that the likelihood becomes for R < R� and R > Rd, Rd and R� are the limits over which the Boltzmann factor is valid and the temperature range R� <  R < Rd is not expected to exceed the Earth-based photosynthesis limits for life-as-we-know-it) holds, and 

that the auxiliary parameter ` in equation (17) is expressed by relation: 

  ` = BB⨁
P⨁P ∼ P⨁P                                                                  (18)  

 

where S⨁ = 0,66KC and R⨁ = 287j are the corresponding values for the Earth, and here S ∼ S⨁, one 

obtains the following condition for the quantum potential of the vacuum as a reservoir heat relative to 

the parameters of the planet Earth: 

  

ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP = 26,7 T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYB⨁
P⨁P + 1Z                                                    19) 

Namely, 

∇4"FG = 4&∆)*+,2B⨁NOPℏ%$B⨁l4m,nℏ%$NOP⨁                                                          (20) 

which expresses the link between the heat ∇4"FG  that describes and regards the interaction between the 

living organism and its environment, the surface temperature of the planet and the fluctuations of the 

quantum vacuum energy density in the region into consideration. An interesting advantage of equation 

(20) is that it reproduces correctly the fact that “origin of life”-type events are determined by the 

parameters of the surrounding environment and not necessarily by the global properties (such as the 

global temperature) of the planet.  

 

 

3. The role of the quantum potential of the vacuum with regards to the probability 

of life in exoplanets and the duration of habitability 
 

In our approach, life in an exoplanet is produced by a thermalized vacuum acting as a reservoir of heat. 

In particular, taking account of the results obtained by Lingam and Loeb in [60], the likelihood function 

of life in exoplanets may be expressed through the following equations: 

 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

77 

a) � =  KLM T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP Z c_R − R�ac_Rd − Ra � �opqrs� �tut⨁� �〈w,xV〉〈w⨁〉 �lp
                          (21) 

if the lifetime of the planet’s atmosphere is less than the timescale of atmospheric loss for 

unmagnetized planets, and 

 

b) � =  KLM T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP Z c_R − R�ac_Rd − Ra � �opqrs� � qpzd�4 �tut⨁�lp,n � {| ⋆{| ⨀�lp
               (22) 

if the lifetime of the planet’s atmosphere is bigger than the timescale of atmospheric loss for 

unmagnetized planets. In equations (21) and (22), �} = ~{���J�tu$   is the surface pressure of the atmosphere 

(�qrs is the mass of the atmosphere, �� is the radius of the planet), 〈�Bd&〉 is the average extreme 

ultraviolet flux, �⨁ is the value of 〈�Bd&〉 for the Earth, �⨁ is the radius of the Earth, � is the semi-

major axis of the planet, �| ⋆ is the stellar mass loss rate, �| ⨀ is the Sun’s mass loss rate.  The advantage 

of the functions (21) and (22) lies in the fact that they allow us to determine the likelihood of a planet 

being conducive to life with respect to Earth in terms of parameters which are direct observables, or 

can be deduced indirectly, by means of numerical simulations (except for uncertainties concerning the 

surface pressure and the surface temperature).  

 

As regards the approach based on equations (21) and (22), the crucial point is that, despite the presence 

of some terms that for a given exoplanet seem to provide values which differ with respect to those of 

Earth (as Lingam’s and Loeb’s research demonstrate), this does not necessarily mean that the exoplanet 

into consideration does not host life because the quantum term KLM T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP Z associated with the 

quantum potential of the vacuum, as a consequence of its non-local action, makes life a non-local 

property which can originate also in that peculiar exoplanet. In other words, in this picture, one can say 

that the habitability of an exoplanet is determined by the synergy of different parameters: some 

parameters regarding the planet into consideration (such as its atmosphere) and its star, as well as the 

quantum term KLM T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP Z associated with the quantum potential of the vacuum, which 

indicates the role of life as a global non-local phenomenon. Therefore, a suggestive perspective 

introduced by the approach based on equations (21) and (22) is that a given exoplanet will be habitable 

and thus will host life when the term KLM T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP Z  prevails with respect to the other terms 

appearing in (21) and (22), in particular the Heaviside function, the surface pressure of the atmosphere, 

the average extreme ultraviolet flux and the stellar mass loss rate. 

 

The considerations we have made here allow us now to throw new light as regards the probabilities of 

life-bearing planets around stars of mass �∗ and �⨀, in the sense that the likelihood function of life in 

exoplanets may be expressed through simple equations where the value of the parameter 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

78 

KLM T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP Z must be put in comparison with the other terms appearing in these equations. The 

quantity � = �⋆�⨀, which represents the ratio of the probabilities of life in exoplanets around stars of 

mass �∗ with respect to Earth, can be expressed through the following equations: 

  

a) � =  
8��

⎝
⎜⎛

ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏY�O�
⎠
⎟⎞� uo�������u�⨁!�〈�,xV〉〈�⨁〉 !��

8��[l4m,n_�lpab                                                 (23) 

if the lifetime of the planet’s atmosphere is less than the timescale of atmospheric loss for 

unmagnetized planets, and through the following equation: 

 

b) � =  
8��

⎝
⎜⎛

ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏY�O�
⎠
⎟⎞� uo������ ���x�$��u�⨁!��,�� �| ⋆�| ⨀!��

8��[l4m,n_�lpab                                           (24)  

 

if the lifetime of the planet’s atmosphere is bigger than the timescale of atmospheric loss for 

unmagnetized planets. Clearly, as regards the probability of life in an exoplanet – which can be 

expressed through equations (23) or (24) – one must take into account that the upper bound on the 

habitability of a planet is the stellar lifetime and that the maximum duration that the planet remains 

habitable is less than the stellar lifetime for a simple reason: the stellar luminosity increases over time, 

and the planet will eventually enter a runaway greenhouse phase and become uninhabitable (like 

Venus). Thus, the duration of habitability is essentially specified by the temporal extent of the 

continuously habitable zone. By using the knowledge about the inner and outer boundaries of the 

habitable zone in conjunction with stellar evolution models, one can estimate the total duration of time 

(���) that an Earth-analog will remain inside the habitable zone as a function of the stellar mass �∗. By 

following [61], one obtains: 

 ��� ≈ 0,55�⊙ � {∗{⊙!l4
    if    �∗ > �⊙                                                      (25) 

 ��� ≈ 0,55�⊙ � {∗{⊙!lp
     if    0,5�⊙ < �∗ < �⊙                                         (26) 

 ��� ≈ 0,55�⊙ � {∗{⊙!lp,4�
    if    �∗ < 0,5�⊙                                            (27) 

 

where �⊙ ≈ 10��� and �⊙ is the solar mass. By analysing (25)-(27), it follows that low-mass stars 

are characterized by continuous habitable zones that last for a longer duration of time, which is along 

expected lines since they have longer main-sequence lifetimes [62, 63]. Now, in our approach of 3D 

quantum vacuum, the interesting perspective is opened that the total duration of habitability of a planet 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

79 

is itself determined by the synergy of the values of the parameters appearing in equations (21) and (22), 

namely the parameters regarding the planet into consideration (such as its atmosphere) and its star, as 

well as the quantum term KLM T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP Z associated with the quantum potential of the vacuum. in 

other words, it is the evolution of the values of the parameters appearing in equations (21) and (22) 

which contribute to make a given exoplanet habitable or non-habitable and, therefore, influences the 

total duration of habitability of that exoplanet.  

Finally, it must be emphasized that the quantum term KLM T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP Z associated with the quantum 

potential of the vacuum and which makes life a global property which has the potential to transmit 

instantaneously from one region to another, allows us to throw new light also as regards the 

computation of the number of planets which host life in a given region of the universe. In this regard, in 

[64] Lingam and Loeb estimated the number of planets with life in a particular volume through 

relation: 

 �� =  }¡¢ ∙ ¤8 ∙ ¤9                                                                (28) 

 

where  }¡¢ is the number of stars that can be covered by a state-of-the-art telescope like the JSWT, ¤8  

is the fraction of “habitable” planets per star, and ¤9 is the probability that a “habitable” planet is 

actually inhabited. If in Lingam’s and Loeb’s approach, ¤8  is an unknown quantity since we do not 

currently know the list of necessary and sufficient criteria for habitability, in our approach things are 

different because life is a non-local global property generated by the action of the quantum potential of 

the 3D quantum vacuum as a heat reservoir and KLM T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP Z is the fundamental term which is 

responsible of this. As a consequence, in our model of 3D quantum vacuum as origin of life in an 

exoplanet, the unknown coefficient ¤8  of Lingam’s and Loeb’s approach can be replaced with the term 

KLM T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP Z which indeed makes life a global property which has the potential to emerge 

everywhere in the universe. Therefore, in our model the number of planets with life in a particular 

volume can be expressed through the following relation: 

�� =  }¡¢ ∙ KLM T ℏ$U$$V∆W*+,∇$X01ℏYNOP Z ∙ ¤9                                                      (29) 

 

In summary, equations (21), (22), (23) and (29) have the potential to determine relevant perspectives in 

order to explore the possibilities of life in the different exoplanets and different galaxies and stellar 

systems existing in the visible universe. These equations indeed introduce a field which is all to be 

explored. In this regard, further research will give you more information.  

 

 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

80 

4. Conclusions and perspectives 
 

In this paper, we have examined the likelihood function of life in exoplanets, we have estimated the 

number of planets with life in a given volume of the universe, and we have made considerations about 

the duration of the habitability of an exoplanet, in the context of a 3D quantum vacuum model where 

life is originated by the action of a quantum potential of the vacuum as a heat reservoir, thus providing 

an additional density of physical space in a living organism. The crucial result of this approach lies in 

the perspective that life is a non-local global property which has the potential to transmit 

instantaneously from one region to another and thus that the habitability of an exoplanet is determined 

not only by the parameters of the planet and of its star, but also depends on a quantum term associated 

with the action of the quantum potential of the vacuum as a heat reservoir, thus implying the idea that 

life is a global property.  
 

The next step regards the computation of the probability of the development of intelligent species in a 

given region and thus the estimation of the number of technological extraterrestrial species. In this 

regard, in July 2015 a 10-year program has been announced, named Breakthrough Listen Initiative, 

which has the aim to quantify the distribution of advanced, technologically capable life in the universe 

[65-67]. Our model of 3D quantum vacuum has the potential to throw new light in this research 

regarding the number of technological species in the universe, compatibly with the idea that life 

elsewhere can have a non-carbon chemical foundation.  
 

 

References 
 

1. P. Ball, “Water as an Active Constituent in Cell Biology”, Chemical Reviews, 108, 1, 74–108 (2008). 

2. M.H. Hart, “The evolution of the atmosphere of the earth”, Icarus, 33, 1, 23–39 (1978). 

3. M.H. Hart, “Habitable zones about main sequence stars”, Icarus, 37, 1, 351–357 (1979). 

4. J.F. Kasting, D.P. Whitmire and R.T. Reynolds, “Habitable Zones Around Main Sequence Stars”, Icarus, 
101, 108–128 (1993). 

5. R.K. Kopparapu, R. Ramirez, J.F. Kasting, V. Eymet, T.D. Robinson, S. Mahadevan, R.C. Terrien, S. 

Domagal-Goldman, V. Meadows and R. Deshpande,  “Habitable Zones Around Main-Sequence Stars: New 
Estimates”, The Astrophysical Journal, 765, 2, 16 (2013). 

6. V.S. Meadows and R.K. Barnes, “Factors Affecting Exoplanet Habitability”, in Handbook of exoplanets, eds 

H.J. Deeg and J.A. Belmonte, Springer International Publishing, 57 (2018). 
7. J.E. Lovelock and L. Margulis, “Homeostatic tendencies of the Earth’s atmosphere”, Origins of Life, 5, 1-2, 

93–103 (1974). 

8. C. Goldblatt, A.J. Matthews, M. Claire, T.M. Lenton, A.J. Watson and K.J. Zahnle, “There was probably 

more nitrogen in the Archean atmosphere and This would have helped resolve the Faint Young Sun paradox. 
Geochimica et Cosmochimica”, Acta Supplement, 73, 446 (2009). 

9. E. Tziperman, I. Halevy, D.T. Johnston, A.H. Knoll and D.P. Schrag, “Biologically induced initiation of 

Neoproterozoic snowball-Earth events”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 108, 37, 15091–
15096 (2011). 

10. T.M. Lenton, M. Crouch, M. Johnson, N. Pires and L. Dolan, “First plants cooled the Ordovician”, Nature 

Geoscience, 5, 2, 86–89 (2012). 

11. M.C. Weiss, F.L. Sousa, N. Mrnjavac, S. Neukirchen, M. Roettger, S. Nelson-Sathi and W.F. Martin, “The 
physiology and habitat of the last universal common ancestor”, Nature Microbiology, 1, 16116 (2016). 

12. L.A. Rogers, “Most 1.6 Earth-radius Planets are Not Rocky”, Astrophysical Journal, 801, 41 (2015). 

13. B.J. Fulton et al., “The California-Kepler Survey. III. A Gap in the Radius Distribution of Small Planets”, 
arXiv:1703.10375 [astro-ph] (2017). 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

81 

14. A. Lenardic and J.W. Crowley, “On the notion of welldefined tectonic regimes for terrestrial planets in this 

solar system and others”, The Astrophysical Journal, 755, 2, 132 (2012). 

15. P.E. Driscoll and R. Barnes, “Tidal Heating of Earth-like Exoplanets around M Stars: Thermal, Magnetic, 
and Orbital Evolutions”, Astrobiology, 15, 739–760 (2015). 

16. E. Chassefière, F. Leblanc and B. Langlais, “The combined effects of escape and magnetic field histories at 

mars”, Planetary and Space Science, 55, 3, 343–357 (2007). 
17. H. Lammer, Origin and evolution of planetary atmospheres: Implications for habitability, Springer (2013). 

18. H. Egan, R. Jarvinen, Y. Ma and D. Brain, “Planetary magnetic field control of ion escape from weakly 

magnetized planets”, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 488, 2, 2108–2120 (2019). 

19. R.K. Kopparapu et al., “Habitable Zones Around Main-Sequence Stars: Dependence on Planetary Mass”, The 
Astrophysical Journal, 787, 2, L29 (2014). 

20. P. Olson and U.R. Christensen, “Dipole moment scaling for convection-driven planetary dynamos. Earth and 

Planetary”, Science Letters, 250, 561–571 (2006). 
21. P. Driscoll and D. Bercovici, “Divergent evolution of Earth and Venus: Influence of degassing, tectonics, and 

magnetic fields”, Icarus, 226, 1447–1464 (2013).  

22. P. Driscoll and D. Bercovici, “On the thermal and magnetic histories of Earth and Venus: Influences of 
melting, radioactivity, and conductivity”, Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 236, 36–51 (2014). 

23. R. Lundin, H. Lammer and I. Ribas, “Planetary magnetic fields and solar forcing: implications for 

atmospheric evolution”, Space Science Reviews, 129, 1-3, 245–278 (2007). 

24. J.D. do Nascimento et al., Magnetic Field and Wind of Kappa Ceti: Toward the Planetary Habitability of the 
Young Sun When Life Arose on Earth, Astrophys. J. Lett., 820, 1, L15 (2016). 

25. P.E. Driscoll, “Planetary Interiors, Magnetic Fields, and Habitability”, in Handbook of Exoplanets, eds. H.J. 

Deeg and J.A. Belmonte, Springer International Publishing, 1–18 (2018). 
26. R.K. Kopparapu, E.T. Wolf and V.S. Meadows, “Characterizing exoplanet habitability”, arXiv:1911.04441v1 

[astr-ph-EP] (2019). 

27. S.H. Dole, Habitable planets for man, Rand Corp. (1964). 

28. J. Kasting, How to Find a Habitable Planet, Princeton University Press (2010). 
29. R. Heller and J. Armstrong, “Superhabitable worlds”, Astrobiology, 14, 1, 50-66 (2014). 

30. M. Lingam and A. Loeb, “Reduced diversity of life around Proxima Centauri and TRAPPIST-1”, Astrophys. 

J. Lett., 846, 2, L21 (2017).  
31. J. Zendejas, A. Segura and A.C. Raga, “Atmospheric mass loss by stellar wind from planets around main 

sequence M stars”, Icarus, 210, 2, 539-544 (2010). 

32. M. Lingam and A. Loeb, “Is life most likely around Sun-like stars?”, arXiv:1710.11134 (2017). 
33. S.I. Walker, “Origins of life: a problem for physics”, arXiv:1705.08073v1 [q-bio.PE] (2017). 

34. W. Bialek, “Biophysics: searching for principles”, Princeton University Press (2012). 

35. P.C.W. Davies and S.I. Walker, “The hidden simplicity of biology”, Rep. Prog. Phys., 79, 10, 102601 (2016).  

36. S.I. Walker and P.C.W. Davies, “The algorithmic origins of life”, Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 10, 
79, 20120869 (2013).  

37. E.T. Jaynes, “Information theory and statistical mechanics”, Physical Review, 106, 4, 620 (1957). 

38. J.M. Parrando, J.M. Horowitz and T. Sagawa, “Thermodynamics of information", Nature Physics, 11, 131-
139 (2015). 

39. E. Schrödinger, What is life? With mind and matter and autobiographical sketches, Cambridge University 

Press (1992). 
40. J. Von Neumann and A.W. Burks, “Theory of self-reproducing automata”, IEEE Transactions on Neural 

Networks, 5, 1 (1966). 

41. J.E. Mayfield, “The engine of complexity: evolution as computation”, Columbia University Press (2013). 

42. L.S. Penrose and R. Penrose, “A self-reproducing analogue”, Nature, 179, 1183 (1957).  
43. S.I. Walker and C.W. Paul Higgs, “The hard problem of life”, in From Matter to Life: Information and 

Causality, eds. S.I. Walker, P.C.W. Davies and G.F.R. Ellis, Cambridge University Press (2016). 

44. C. Marletto, “Constructor theory of life” Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 12, 104, 20141226 (2015). 



DNA Decipher Journal | November 2020 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | pp 67-82 

Fiscaletti, D., Perspectives on the Origin of Life in Exoplanets as a Phenomenon Generated by a 3D Quantum Vacuum 

 

ISSN: 2159-046X DNA Decipher Journal 

Published by QuantumDream, Inc. 

www.dnadecipher.com 

 

82 

45. L. Cronin and S.I. Walker, “Beyond Prebiotic Chemistry”, Science, 352, 1174-1175 (2016). 

46. G. Auletta, G.F.R. Ellis and L. Jaeger, “Top-down causation by information control:from a philosophical 

problem to a scientific research programme”, Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 5, 27, 1159-1172 
(2008). 

47. J. Flack, Life? Information Hierarchy, in From Matter to Life: Information and Causality, ed. by S.I. Walker, 

P.C. Davies and G.F.R. Ellis, 283-302 (2017). 
48. J.C. Flack et al., “Timescales, symmetry, and uncertainty reduction in the origins of hierarchy in biological 

systems”, in Evolution cooperation and complexity, ed. by K. Sterelny, MIT Press, 45-74 (2013). 

49. C.R. Shalizi and C. Moore, “What is a macrostate? Subjective observations and objective dynamics”, 

arXiv:cond-mat/0303625 (2003). 
50. R. Landauer, “Information is physical”, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Division (1992). 

51. G.F.R. Ellis, “Top-down causation and emergence: some comments on mechanisms”, Interface Focus, 2, 

126–140 (2012); (doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0062).  
52. D. Fiscaletti and A. Sorli, “Perspectives about quantum mechanics in a model of a three-dimensional 

quantum vacuum where time is a mathematical dimension”, SOP Transactions on Theoretical Physics, 1, 3, 

11-38 (2014).  
53. D. Fiscaletti and A. Sorli, “Quantum vacuum energy density and unifying perspectives between gravity and 

quantum behaviour of matter”, Annales de la Fondation Louis de Broglie, 42, 2, 251-297 (2017).  

54. D. Fiscaletti and A. Sorli, “About a three-dimensional quantum vacuum as the ultimate origin of gravity, 

electromagnetic field, dark energy … and quantum behaviour”, Ukrainian Journal of Physics, 61, 5, 413-431 
(2016).  

55. D. Fiscaletti and A. Sorli, “Dynamic quantum vacuum and relativity”, Annales UMCS Sectio AAA: Physica, 

LXXI, 11-52 (2016).  
56. D. Fiscaletti, “Life as a non-local phenomenon generated by the quantum potential of the vacuum”, 

Bulgarian Journal of Physics, 46, 2, 49-66 (2019). 

57. G. Grössing, “The vacuum fluctuation theorem: Exact Schrödinger equation via Nonequilibrium 

Thermodynamics”, Physics Letters A, 372, 4556 (2008); e-print http://arxiv.org/abs/0711.4954 (2007).  
58. G. Grössing, “On the thermodynamic origin of the quantum potential. On the thermodynamic origin of the 

quantum potential”, Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 388, 6, 811-823 (2009); e-print 

arXiv: quant-ph 0808.35.39.pdf (2008).  
59. J.F. Gillooly et al., “Effects of Size and Temperature on Metabolic Rate”, Science, 293, 5538, 2248–2251 

(2001). 

60. M. Lingam and A. Loeb, “Physical constraints on the likelihood of life on exoplanets”, arXiv:1707.02996v1 
[astro-ph.EP] (2017).  

61. A.J. Rushby, M.W. Claire, H. Osborn and A.J. Watson, “Habitable Zone Lifetimes of Exoplanets around 

Main Sequence Stars”, Astrobiology, 13, 9, 833–849 (2013). 

62. F.C. Adams and G. Laughlin, “A dying universe: the long-term fate and evolution of astrophysical objects”, 
Rev. Mod. Phys., 69, 2, 337–372 (1997). 

63. A. Loeb, R.A. Batista and D. Sloan, “Relative likelihood for life as a function of cosmic time”, J. Cosmol. 

Astropart. Phys., 8, 040 (2016). 
64. M. Lingam and A. Loeb, “Relative likelihood of success in the searches for primitive versus intelligent 

extraterrestrial life”, arXiv:1807.08879v3 [physics.pop-ph] (2018).  

65. H. Isaacson, A.P.V. Siemion, G.W. Marcy, M. Lebofsky, D.C. Price, D. MacMahon, S. Croft, D. DeBoer, J. 
Hickish, D. Werthimer, S. Sheikh, G. Hellbourg, J.E. Enriquez, “The breakthrough listen search for 

intelligent life: Target selection of nearby stars and galaxies”, arXiv:1701.06227 [astro-ph.IM] (2017). 

66. D. Lipman et al., “The breakthrough listen search for intelligent life: Searching Boyajian’s star for laser line 

emission”, arXiv:1812.10161 [astro-ph.IM] (2018). 
67. V. Gajjar et al., “The breakthrough listen search for extraterrestrial intelligence”, arXiv:1907.05519 [astro-

ph.IM] (2019).  


