Nano-Engineering in Science and Technology
Focusing on the molecular dynamics method, this important book provides a vivid introduction to the procedures, techniques, problems and difficulties of computational nano-engineering and design.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Nano-Engineering in Science and Technology
5.7: Analogies to Biology
5.7 Analogies to Biology
Although aluminium clusters represent inorganic structures there are several analogies to biological systems [Rieth, Schommers, 2002]:
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A nanosystem may be creative, i.e. it can take individual decisions which cannot be influenced from the outside. This is an interpretation of the bifurcation phenomenon.
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Nanosystems are able to transform spontaneously, either stimulated by a random perturbation or even without any external influence. Such a behavior is also known from biological systems: spontaneous transformations are typical phenomena within the field of embryology [Beloussov, 2000, 2002].
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The state transition is accompanied by a structural transformation where new shapes are created. Also within the field of embryology new forms appear which have not existed before.
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Simple shaped meta-stable nano-cluster transform into more complex configurations. This behavior too is typical for biological systems it is a feature of the evolution.
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