Pelican Stories: 1, #1

By Ilya Fine

The now-defunct but once highly popular magazine, "Pelican," used to publish stories from authors who wished to communicate scientific or philosophical concepts through entertaining tales with unexpected endings. Each story would feature drama and tension, concealing a treasure trove of fascinating knowledge and ideas.

In the first story, it is told about an unexpected way of predicting the future. In the second story, we will learn what the next stage of human evolution will look like. The following story called "Linguist,"  describes what will happen when a single language reigns on the planet.  What needs to be done for all of humanity to become a single unified organism? We will learn about this from the story "The New Life."     Is it possible to come up with a better form of governance than those practiced today? And what will all of this lead to? Read "The Certainty of Improbability". How does the patent attorney protect against unwanted inventions? You will find out from the story 'Patent Attorney'." The problem of self-awareness occupies a mysterious extraterrestrial civilization, and they come to Earth to figure out if Earthlings have self-awareness. This is described in "The Problem of Self-Awareness." Archaeological excavations are full of surprises, especially when manuscripts in an invented language are discovered. This is discussed in the upcoming story, "The Last Indian from the Tribe OLI".

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ilya Fine
• Release date: Apr 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223413080

Ilya Fine

Ilya Fine is a Doctor of Physics, a serial entrepreneur in the field of biomedical devices, and the author of numerous scientific articles and over 50 patents. He skillfully transforms his ideas surrounding the mysteries of life's origins, the nature of consciousness, and the future of humanity into captivating science fiction stories, complete with entertaining plots and unexpected endings.

Book preview

A Scent of the Future

Dr. Aris had long dreamed of ridding himself of the responsibilities that had begun to seriously bother him in recent years. How painful it was to meet every new day, listening to the acoustic sigh of morning awakening produced by the lazy silicone body of the computer, a sound which was reminiscent of the deep yawn of an old man. Then after that signal, as if after the morning call of a bugle, Aris had to rise and attack the accumulated piles of electronic letters which had poured out of the filthy virtual Augean stables of e-mail, forcing him to defend himself against hostile demands and seemingly desperate requests. The mud-covered splashes of other people's thoughts directed in his direction had first to be cleaned off and then mirrored and sent back to whence they had come. If Aris ever allowed himself to back off even once, the next morning inexorable retribution always awaited him. But now he had to say, hurrah! Finally, this senseless and completely ridiculous duty dissolved into the memories of the past. Freedom had finally come! At last, he could do anything he wanted, including such an important thing as sitting completely idle and doing nothing. At first, it seemed somehow as something abnormal and wrong, and out of habit he cautiously checked his e-mail anyway and then rejoiced like a child, having found at most one or two messages that had accidentally leaked to him. Aris basked in the thoughtless bliss of laziness, sighing deeply as he appreciated the gifts of generously given time. He was in high spirits, reminiscent of the fleeting joy a schoolboy felt looking forward to the start of a summer vacation. Enjoying his own lack of responsibilities, he mentally reviewed the innumerable opportunities for carrying out pleasant and useless deeds, patiently waiting for him in the wings. However, harmful reflexes do not leave our consciousness as quickly as we would like.

For some reason on this day, without thinking about the consequences, Aris booted up the computer with a carefree poke on the mouse, and looked at the e-mail, smiling contentedly. There was almost nothing new! And what was there was just a tiny cloud in a clear sky, just one message, and it was not even clear from whom. It was probably just another ubiquitous advertisement for tourist trips. When would these ads ever end? Was it possible that only when the rivers became shallow and dried up, that the streams of people who eagerly sought to take as many pictures as possible and absorb the sounds and smells of new places into their brain also dried up? But then again why would these streams ever stop? What could possibly stop or scare away the most promoted business of the modern world? Was it some kind of infection? In our times infections had been eradicated long ago... Aris allowed himself the luxury of being distracted by meaningless thoughts on this topic for another minute, but then he returned to the message and cautiously clicked on the bold headline line. He skimmed through the text that popped up, and then reread it twice in bewilderment. The message was extremely succinct:

Dear Dr. Aris,

I would be extremely grateful if you could give me some time on the phone.

Sincerely yours,

E. R.

Editor-in-Chief of the Pelican

Aris immediately rushed to his computer and brought up a search engine. The supposedly all-knowing Wikipedia immediately informed him that the Pelican was a fairly well-known and very fashionable literary magazine. According to the internet resource it published only popular science articles in all fields of science and philosophy and was in great demand because of the special form of presentation that it employed. The journal stood apart from other similar publications with the innovative format it used to popularize the latest scientific achievements and technological breakthroughs. The publisher required the authors of publications and present scientific or philosophical ideas as entertainingly and provocatively as possible. According to their guidelines an idea could be presented in the form of a romance novel, a crime or detective story, a sci-fi story, a short funny story or even a children's fairy tale. The cherries of scientific thoughts that were chosen had to be deliciously cooked and baked into a sumptuous cake made of warm and rich literary dough, otherwise the reader might begin to get tired and yawn loudly. Aris read several of the Pelican publications with great interest. The question was not what was there but what was not there! For example, there was a horror story about a mathematical monster which captured talented young scientists and put his victims in a basement, where they had to develop new areas of mathematics as a condition for not being killed. With great attention and even awe the reader would read about the breakthrough ideas credited to the hero. In the final scene of the story, the monster decides that in accordance with the level of persuasiveness of the mathematical argument presented to him, he would decide whether to get a set of torture instruments or give a reward for correctly proving the theorem. Then there was a tale about a dragon and a terrible witch. The scientist, portrayed as a wizard, edits the genes of the ugly creatures, while at the same time talking about the latest achievements in genetic engineering. At the end of the story, the ugly dragon is transformed into a good and proper fellow, and the witch becomes a beautiful maiden.

Aris shook his head. All of this educational activity, of course, is worthy of every praise possible but what does it have to do with him? He had never published anything in his life except scientific articles, but yet, he thought, there was no reason why he should refuse a reply to the single message he had received. No need to anger the almighty god of the World Wide Web, who has been so favorable to him lately. Aris decided to send a polite reply and then slammed the laptop’s lid shut.

The next day, at what was exactly the appointed hour, a call flashed on his cell phone with the inscription the Pelican.

He picked up the phone and heard a dry monotone voice. Good afternoon, Dr. Aris. I don't want to waste your valuable time, so I'll get straight to the point; everyone is well aware of your pioneering contribution to what is now a new understanding of biology, but unfortunately, few comprehend its true meaning. We want someone to present your innovative ideas in the Pelican but unfortunately, we have not yet found a suitable candidate. We therefor had a very natural thought, namely to ask the author himself to convey the meaning of his research to the general public. You have to agree, it's a logical decision!

Aris tried to say something, but the editor had prepared well and using the methods of a seasoned salesman, did not allow himself to be interrupted.

Yes, we know that you have no experience in the genre of our project, but perhaps this is a good thing as in accordance with the rules of our magazine, you are not limited in any way. By the way, in your case, we would prefer something in the area of a criminal drama. Yes... Yes, our readers love a feeling of suspense, but before you decide on the format there is another important factor. Our circulation is at a level that is incomparably greater than can be boasted about by even the most prestigious scientific journals and so will be able to convey your ideas to the minds of millions, and last but not least, will be paid a fee comparable to what you earn in one year in the academic world.

Aris made another attempt to say something, but the editor again beat him to it: We would of course like to give you as much time as you want to think about this proposal but there is only space for one more opus left in the upcoming issue, and we must receive an answer immediately. Do you have any idea how many people want to be published? Literally thousands! However, we truly respect and appreciate your revolutionary work and, in accordance with the numerous requests of our readers, we would like to disseminate your work. Therefore, we have held back preparations for the next issue and are waiting for your decision. Don't ask how hard it was for me to convince my colleagues to wait...

He fell silent, as if immersed in painful memories. Then he muttered sadly: Now I'm really listening to you. Aris had finally gotten a chance to say something. But, overwhelmed by the pressure of the editor, he only remarked timidly: But what if I don't succeed?

The invisible interlocutor laughed on the other end and the said: We will take the risk. You will receive half of the fee right now. Well, have you decided?

The editor was firm in the knowledge that if the victims were allowed to wander alone on the paths of doubt and reflection, they would never escape the dense thicket of their own thoughts. And it was also necessary that the client feel guilty about something, preferably from the very first moment. Let the conscientious subject suffer because the release of a respectable magazine was delayed on account of his shameful indecision.  

The time-tested tactic worked, and Aris, inexperienced in the process of negotiation, almost without thinking, blurted out firmly: Okay, I agree!

Wonderful! We’ll be waiting for your opus sometime during the week! Oh, and I completely forgot, please no more than 10 pages. We have no excess free space in the issue. Before the dumbfounded Aris could say anything, the phone switched off.

For the next hour, Aris could not stop kicking himself, and thinking: Is this supposed to be what is called dumping all obligations and taking time off to relax? I have no idea how to write stories like this. Explain my many years of scientific work in such a way that any poorly educated person grasps its essence, and at the same time even create pulp fiction? However, soon he found himself sitting and drawing out a plot line. Should I strain my imagination, or maybe do the opposite? He opened a new file and wrote:

By evening, a breeze had begun to rise on the sandy shore of the ocean, sprinkling the endless pulverized pieces of white shells with splashes of salty coolness. Almost all of the residents and guests of the old resort town, overheated by the excessively abundant solar energy, poured out of their stuffy abodes onto the embankment, enjoying the saving coolness of the ocean's powerful breath. The unbearable heat of the day had heated the asphalt and the cracked walls of the buildings. The humid heaviness of the air hinted to hardened believers about the expected everyday life of hell. Since no one was sure of the extent of their own lack of sin, which was the only thing that would guarantee a more joyful alternative in an afterlife, the only thing left was to forget themselves in the numerous establishments of pleasure, drinking themselves to hell and trying not to think about the price that they might be charged for short bits of fun. There were, obviously, other guests of the town who were not preoccupied with different versions of the afterlife and for the delight of both, the sounds of electric guitars, violins and the overworked voices of street musicians sounded along the far-reaching embankment.

All along the shore the numerous tables of restaurants, cafes, pastry shops and eateries seduced passers-by with delicious aromas, mercilessly captivating those who fell into the whirlwind of scent. However sooner or later every guest entering this gastronomic paradise eventually satiated the desires of their stomachs and then it was time to satisfy their social cravings. At one of the tables of one of the many coastal cafes sat a young man and woman, obviously having already satisfied their needs for food, and it would have seemed, prepared for a transition to verbal communications, but instead they sat in silence for more than an hour. Both of them, not looking at each other, were focused on their mobile phones, occasionally stroking the screens that flickered, reacting in their own way to the pleasures of massaging their nimble fingers.

So, what would you say about that? the girl suddenly asked, bringing her cell phone right up to his nose.

He shuddered in surprise, reluctantly distracted himself from his own device and looked at the picture presented to him. In the depths of the screen, the welcome screen of a well-known game flashed and beeped invitingly. It was a new computer game, a battle that devoured hours of leisure and even work time for a large segment of the population. Two players took part in a duel. One of the participants controlled a swift (name a more familiar bird) and the second was a dragonfly. The goal of the bird’s manager was clear, to devour the nimble dragonfly and the second participant, responsible for the dragonfly, obviously had to help the dragonfly escape from the voracious bird and safely overcome the dangerous path from tree to grass. Before the start of the game, the mobile phones of both players had to be synchronized, so that everyone saw both the dragonfly and the bird.

Why are you showing me this game, as if I hadn’t seen it before, the guy muttered with displeasure.

The girl looked dreamily at the ocean and then turned and loudly said: Shall we play? You will be the swift, and I will be the dragonfly. Or maybe you're a coward, huh? the girl grimaced, depicting genuine horror.

The guy reluctantly left what he had been studying and lazily uttered: Well, what should I be afraid of? But if you really want to, then blame yourself! By the way, what are we playing for?

Well, said the girl as she thought, If you beat me even one time out of ten, then... I will go with you wherever you want, even to a football match...

The boy sat motionless.

Well, and also, the girl added hastily, I will be with you for exactly as long as you want and I won’t say a word to you, if you want to go and meet someone else, temporarily of course. In other words, you get full freedom? Well? Do you agree...?

Really! Upon hearing this, the guy perked up, Sounds tempting! What do you want if the unthinkable happens and you win?

The girl tensed a little and, looking into his eyes, said in the same playful tone: Well, if you don’t win at all... Then the date is announced. You know for what ceremony!

The guy laughed, You don't stand a chance. I'm a pro at this game. So the fun life continues!

Then let’s go!

Each of them took out from their bags the special goggles they used for games. The goggles followed the movement of their eyes which controlled the flight of their avatars. Once both of them were synchronized, the girl landed her large-eyed purple dragonfly on a bumpy green leaf. The guy concentrated, and his gray swift, covered with black and white blotches, soared high into the upper corner of the screen and hovered there, waiting for the appearance of his victim. Finally, the dragonfly made up its mind to move and on a very low-level flight, rushed forward in a zigzag pattern, keeping as close as possible to the flowers. The guy, now embedded in the body of the swift, tried to guess the direction of its flight and mentally calculating the trajectory of the dragonfly, dove towards its prey, but then, a split second before contact, the dragonfly simply stopped, and the swift smashed into the ground with the sound of a shattering plate.

Nothing special, I’m just warming up, the guy said almost casually. Let's start the next game!

This time, the swift decided not to fuss about but simply cajolingly follow the nimble dragonfly and attack swiftly at the right moment. For about a minute, the swift followed the path of the dragonfly, and then suddenly made a quick decisive attack, but then, a split-second before contact, the dragonfly foresaw the maneuver and easily fluttered to the side. The swift failed again. And it continued for all of the hunts that followed. Whatever strategy the swift chose, at the decisive moment the dragonfly guessed the intentions of its enemy and dodged the predator.

After the tenth unsuccessful attempt by the swift, the girl squealed with delight and with a triumphant cry said: Now you can't get away! And rushed at the guy and almost strangled him in her arms.

Thus, it can be said: If the swift cannot catch the dragonfly, the dragonfly catches the swift.

The guy couldn't come to his senses after such a disaster...

Now resigned to his fate he asked in a shocked voice: How did you do it? How did you know when I would decide to attack?

A little embarrassed the girl said, I was thinking about... Our unborn child all the time, I was playing for his life...

Together they quickly stood up and left the battlefield hand in hand. No one noticed the plot that had just been played out, one in which a virtual reality game transformed the fate of a young couple.

The people who were at the table nearest to the couple were busy with their own affairs, or rather with their own idleness. Sitting around the table was a motley (why motley??) group of three men and one woman, all participants of a scientific conference on general issues of biology, physics and computer science that had just ended. At a low table sprawled in a rocking chair with his back to the ocean sat the physicist and professor of cosmology Aizik Burke. Aizik was notorious for being able to sit almost motionless for a long time, looking thoughtful and as if doing nothing, for even an hour or two. Whether at the time he was engaged in meditation, or perhaps solving complex problems, no one ever asked him. However, if music was playing somewhere, and especially if it was jazz, then he began to move synchronously and rather clumsily, causing those around him to laugh. On the basis of all these characteristics, for some reason he was nicknamed the Indian Chief. Aizik was not offended, and even perceived this nickname as an indication of his second artistic essence. At the moment, he was relaxing, taking small sips of the local coffee. Opposite him, in the same type of rocking chair, a doctor of biology, Lu-Shi Sen, was sitting and just as leisurely savoring an infernal mixture of potato vodka, egg yolks and rice groats. It was his own favorite recipe, which he poured himself out of a thermos. According to his own statements, which he did not bother to substantiate in any way, this lethal mixture stimulated the brain in a powerful way. Lu-Shi refused to test his concoction on other people because, according to him, this recipe was finely tailored to his own unique genes and was unlikely to be of any use to the rest of the population. No one could dispute such an irrefutable argument. At the moment, it could be assumed that his brain, warmed up and driven by a unique potion, had already driven his thoughts in an unknown direction.

Between them sat a computer scientist, a hot looking young man with a Latin phenotype. His name was Ernesto Alveobar, and an ironic grin always played across his face, giving him an all-knowing and confident look. A little to the side sat Bellisa, an elegant girl in a purple wide-brimmed hat, skillfully matched to her green eyes. She was part of the group as Ernesto's girlfriend. Those present had just exhausted a deep analytical discussion of the gastronomic features of the local cuisine and were starting to get bored. Bellisa vigorously twirled her hat, turning to her rather lethargic neighbors, and made an attempt to somehow cheer up the sleepy parties. Bellisa could not stand long pauses and considered it her duty to try somehow to revive the conversation.

There was an old tried and tested method for this, the weather: I wonder what kind of weather we are being promised for tomorrow? I heard that in this paradise there are surprises. Sometimes things like typhoons and hurricanes.

Why guess? All you need to do is look at the weather forecast, Ernesto's hand reluctantly reached for his mobile phone.

Ernesto, it's so boring to listen to a weather forecast! My intuition tells me that there will be a storm soon. Although we would like to hope that we can continue to enjoy the majestic calm of the ocean. And what do you think, gentlemen, can we predict what awaits us tomorrow? I, of course mean the weather forecast.

Dear Bellisa! For us, the past and the future begin to blur as soon as we move away from them. Ernesto responded, delighted at the opportunity to saddle his favorite horse, computer science. He noisily sipped the non-alcoholic cocktail, which had changed from a clear to a suspicious looking brown drink. Swallowing, he grimaced and, looking serious, continued: Alas. Everything that we know about the future is the result of already acquired information and certain models, some of which you can try to calculate, and moreover it is pointless to talk about certain types of intuition. That is basically fortune telling by using coffee grounds. If someone could prove that there is something like so-called ‘intuition’, that is, the possibility of obtaining at least some information about the future that does not come from the present, then something incredible would happen.

And what’s that? Aizik suddenly perked up, exiting his state of an Indian Leader. What would happen then?

So, what... I have to state things that are obvious? Ernesto was beginning to warm up, We were all taught that knowledge about the future is equivalent to the emergence of new information! New information cannot arise by itself in a closed system. This is something that is impossible according to the laws of physics that we all believe in. I refer you to my article, which shows that if new information about the future enters a closed system, then its entropy begins to fall, and not increase as required by the second law of thermodynamics. Then the system begins to become more complex and evolve. I even derived a corresponding equation. I advise you to take a look at it.

Aizik shrugged slightly. What can you say about our planet? Is it a rather closed system?

Are you joking? Firstly, we receive energy from the Sun, and secondly, what is disturbed here?

Aizik set aside his empty coffee cup and suddenly wanted to annihilate Ernesto's ironic grin: "Have you noticed that the level of organization of a system well known to all of us is inevitably and even godlessly growing? Well, maybe the word ‘godlessly’ doesn't really apply here. However, I want to note that about 4 billion years ago, and maybe even longer, according to the information we have, no one walked along this embankment, much less discussed scientific issues. Well, maybe a couple of organic molecules, holding hands, were tossed along by the ocean and tried to play amino acid games. You are not going to deny, my friend Ernesto, that extraordinary changes have taken place in the degree of organization of this rather closed system since those ancient times and the informational baggage has somewhat grown in size? But that doesn't surprise you. After all, you think that information is leaked to us from the Sun and stars, is that it?

Ernesto opened his mouth to answer, but Bellisa pouted in protest, Ernesto! After all, I just asked about the weather, and you were carried away somewhere and taken far away. All these words about information and energy, I mean, who needs them and who can understand them?

Bellisa herself was a doctor of psychology and, although she always tried not to get into scientific discussions, she sometimes liked to provoke heated scientific disputes in order to observe the childish behavior of people who were respectable pundits. She felt Ernesto's attitude growing more aggressive and decided to add some fuel to the fire.

You keep talking about your information, Bellisa exclaimed reproachfully, all of you look at this delightful purple sunset! How many colors are there? It’s simply alive! What new information is this?

All your colors and delights, my dear, are just bits of information running between the neurons of your lovely brain. And your brain is able to animate anything, even your hat if it serves to awaken someone's emotions.

With an offended look Bellisa poked Ernesto's shoulder. You have a theory for everything! And all you have is stupid information games. And where is the music, the sensations of color and smells?

Ernesto assumed the pose of a lecturer and was already preparing to speculate when Bellisa interrupted him: And speaking in general, everything that is proven in your physics work is done on inanimate beings, isn't that right?

What do you think? That living nature does not obey the laws of physics? Ernesto objected with irony.

Aizik suddenly perked up again and raised his hand, calling for attention: But your lovely friend is right! The laws of physics are not very good at describing sensations. And I can't say what a dolphin, rhinoceros, goose, or even a poor proton feels when it unexpectedly collides, at a turn in the accelerator, with another proton that jumps out to meet it.

Ernesto laughed, I love these jokes!

Aizik raised his eyebrows slightly and said nothing. But, the flame of the conversation lit by Bellisa seemed to only rise and now led the biologist Lu-Shi Sen, who had finally finished savoring his mysterious drink, to enter the conversation: I don’t know how scientific it is, but since we are talking about foresight, you can find many observed examples of how animals predict the near future. For example, I recall publications that domestic animals, primarily dogs and cats, feel their owner at a distance and wait for him at the door many minutes before his appearance, as if receiving information about the imminent arrival of the owner from some unknown channels.

Bellisa enthusiastically supported Lu-Shi.

I myself have a lovely kitty, she looked defiantly at Ernesto, and I absolutely agree with you that she anticipates the intentions of her master. Every time I’m just about to prepare a bowl of delicious cat delicacy, she’s right there, walking about my feet and purring. By the way, someone told me that during the war, as it turned out, cats had premonitions about the beginning of the bombings. The cats' fur would stand on end and they uttered cat screams, and then their owners quickly fled to bomb shelters.

Lu-Shi then added, If I may be allowed to compare, not only cats, but also mice are famous for their abilities. Rather, their relatives, rats. I read a story that during the war you have already mentioned people tried to leave warships and even merchant ships when it was known that rats had left: sailors noticed that ships abandoned by rodents were subsequently sunk by submarines. And there was also a mass exodus of rats from Stalingrad shortly before the Germans began to attack the city.

No one has proven such tales, said Ernesto with a slight smile. Modern science can explain it. It is possible that rats feel low-frequency vibrations that occur in the environment shortly before the onset of an attack. And in general, apart from anecdotal stories, no one has ever cited real experimental evidence of such events having occurred.

Then Lu-Shi Sen attempted to launch a protest: Of course, you have heard about experiments to detect premonitions. Subjects were exposed to light or sound, and various physiological parameters were measured, such as conductance signals from the skin. It was shown that the parameters changed even before impact took place....

So maybe you are hinting that biological time can be ahead of physical time? Aizik noticed quickly.

Ernesto indignantly intervened in the conversation: I can understand her... He nodded at Bellisa unceremoniously, but you're scientists! What other physical and biological times are there? In physics there is only one time! And so the future is the future, and the past is the past.

Attracted by the noise, a group of musicians hastily approached them, deciding that where there is noise, there are emotions, and where there are emotions, music doesn't hurt. They heard the word time spoken loudly. A musician with a guitar stepped forward and sang: Que tiempo hace hoy?

The rest of the musicians pointed to the cloudless sky and sang in thirds: Que tiempo hace hoy, hoy, hoy?

Lu-Shi looked around helplessly, What are they singing about? I kind of understand every word, literally: tiempo is time. Hace is does. Hoy is today. But I don't understand, ‘what time does today?’

Ernesto laughed, Sorry, but in Spanish this expression means ‘What is the weather today!’ So time in this case means the weather... This is a case when a literal translation is devoid of any meaning.

Noticing how Aizik had again turned into an Indian Chief and was swaying rhythmically to the sounds of the guitar, Ernesto threw a coin into an outstretched sombrero. Taking the hint, the musicians bowed and departed with dignity.

Well, Bellisa remarked, I started with the weather. Then you were taken somewhere by time, and we finished again with a song about the weather!

Aizik laughed and returned to the conversation, looking at Ernesto: So you see, even in language time is many-sided. It’s not as simple as you say. Remember old Aristotle, who said that time is an objectively existing physical phenomenon, perceived by the human soul as a measure and a number connected to movement. If there is no being, then there is nothing that is perceived as time itself. That is, according to this Greek, time is subjective in the form of perception. And we should also mention St. Augustine, who put forward the concept of subjective human time. According to Augustine, ‘time is only conditionally divided into past, present and future, since there is no future yet, the past no longer exists, and the present is elusive. How do we perceive time if we cannot grasp its essence in any way?’ asked Augustine. And he answered: ‘Each of us carries the image of time in our souls and we remember it.’

Aizik, narrowing his eyes, fell silent, apparently enjoying the life-saving breeze that had just appeared. Then suddenly, a downpour of sand, dressed in a cloud of smoke, poured down over everyone at the table and between all of the café tables on the sand, a motorcycle rushed through with a wild roar. Almost instantly an outraged clamor rose up from all sides, but then Aizik raised his hand and tried to calm the senseless fuss being made.

He then lowered his voice and, looking mainly at Lu-Shi, spoke in a mysterious tone: Lord! How this funny episode reminds me of something. Many years ago, when I was still active in public life, I was invited to take part in a commission that was supposed to come up with yet another empty recommendation to reduce road accidents. I do not know why, but I agreed to spend my precious time on the project which showed little promise. Taking advantage of the generous budget that had been provided, I commissioned a large-scale study. Maybe the scars of my personal biography influenced me.  Aizik suddenly showed everyone a sinuous white stripe of scar tissue on his tanned arm. I was especially interested in accidents in which motorcyclists were involved. As it turned out, almost all of them happened in the same manner. Cars changed lanes and, not noticing a motorcyclist in the blind spot, knocked the unfortunate person off their feet, or rather off their wheels. I studied the gloomy statistics of such accidents and then a curious thing came to light: the probability that a car would change lanes when a motorcyclist is hovering in their blind spot turned out to be several times less than such a maneuver being performed without an invisible motorcyclist nearby. Do I need to explain how this fact reflected on the statistics of accidents? In short, there should have been even more accidents! Of course, I hid my analysis from the commission, because I could not explain it in any way... But, anyway... Go ahead, continue, what did you want to say?

Ernesto shrugged his shoulders. What does it matter what the ancient Greeks and Christian theologians thought? All of that is of course, instructive, but no one can look into the future, not a man, a rat or an amoeba. Are you going to argue with that?

Lu-Shi unexpectedly dropped his glass. Amoeba... Did you say amoeba?!

What's wrong with you? asked Ernesto, Do you have a sun stroke?

Lu-Shi straightened up and said firmly: One thought just came to mind...

Everyone looked at him. He poured himself a glass of his potion from his thermos and drank it in one gulp. His face flushed. Lu-Shi was thinking hard about something and after a minute he almost shouted out, Eureka! I think that it would be possible to check something and even prove it!

Ernesto laughed, Now I believe in the miraculous power of your drink! By the way, can it be smoked?

Aizik, on the other hand, was very serious. He shook his head incredulously, Lu-Shi, how long will it take you to convince us of what you’ve thought up?

Lu-Shi Sen sat without moving. Then he looked at the horizon and quietly said, Give me a year.

Bellisa exclaimed, I have an idea! The next conference will take place in a year. By the way, do you know where?

Don't keep us in suspense. Ernesto said, putting his arm around her shoulders.

On a passenger liner, the next conference will take place on board the super modern passenger liner named the FUTURE. What if we all meet there, and you Dr. Lu-Shi, prove your case and at the same time the magical power of the cocktail you invented. However, I already believe you, as well as does my cat! She laughed and looked mysteriously at Ernesto.

Ernesto and Bellisa were sprawled out on chaise lounges on the topmost deck. The shore was no longer visible and stewards dressed in snow-white uniforms fussed around them, taking. orders for soft drinks and cocktails. Bellisa, still smiling, beckoned one of them over.

Everything here is so damn expensive! the now gloomy Ernesto remarked with irritation having somewhere lost his ironic smile. If it wasn’t for your curiosity caused by Lu-Shi’s stupidity, I would never have boarded such a luxurious liner in all my life. This journey will bankrupt us, Bellisa!

Something tells me, Ernesto, that things will get better here... Bellisa continued to be in a good mood.

Is that your intuition again? I would like to believe it, but you know my opinion on this. Nobody needs my knowledge, and there is no way we can improve our financial affairs, except by perhaps robbing a bank.

Well maybe, but why do you have such criminal inclinations, Ernesto? After all, you are a scientist, and even a specialist in computer science and probability theory. So use your knowledge! she pointed to a huge billboard on which was written: Welcome to our Floating Casino! Try your luck! Drinks and a burning hot concert are on us.

That's why I know very well who wins in the casino game. The odds are on their side, always.

An elderly saxophonist in shorts was standing on deck masterfully playing the melodies of jazz classics. Not surprisingly, Aizik showed up immediately after him, in shorts and a flowered shirt, dancing to the beat of the blues.

Greetings, gentlemen, Aizik waved politely at them. I finished my report! Hope you are enjoying your trip!

Of course, we are getting maximum pleasure out of it, but where is our colleague? Bellisa asked impatiently.

Aizik pointed behind him. A noticeably haggard looking Lu-Shi Sen hobbled slowly behind him. He was dressed formally in a jacket and a very serious looking tie. In one hand he had a small briefcase and in the other, his ever-present thermos. He greeted them all politely and joined the group.

W ell, did you manage to prove you were right? Ernesto could not contain his impatience and was visibly angry.

Lu-Shi sat down and looked around, I think so! And now I'm going to show you something.

Is that your proof? Ernesto nodded his head towards the briefcase. The ironic smile had returned to his face.

Lu-Shi Sen did not answer, but only reached into his pocket. Aizik and Bellisa stood by them, watching him with interest. He took a coin out of his pocket and handed it to Bellisa.

Throw it up and I'll try to guess what side will be facing up!

Bellisa squeezed her eyes shut and tossed the coin high in the air. The coin fell back to the deck and Bellisa went over to it and covered it with her hand.

Lu-Shi leaned over the briefcase and opened it slightly. Then he pressed something inside and firmly said, Tails!

Bellisa raised her hand and joyfully shouted, You guessed it!

50% probability. Nonsense. Come on, throw it again! Ernesto demanded and came closer.

How many guesses do I have to get right before you drop the randomness hypothesis? asked Lu-Shi, squinting at Ernesto.

Ernesto shook his head. His face became serious, 10 guesses in a row are enough for me. By the way, can I toss?

Lu-Shi handed him a coin and Ernesto tossed it up. The coin turned over several times in the air and Ernesto masterfully caught it.

Heads. said Lu-Shi, again after looking into the briefcase.

Ernesto opened his hand and grunted with displeasure, You are lucky. Again you’re right.

After the tenth guess, Aizik remarked, Maybe we should stop this. I would love to hear how you do it!

Lu-Shi closed the briefcase and called the steward over. They all waited. Only after he had a tall glass with two straws in his hand did he begin to speak: Ernesto, remember you said that predicting the future is about reducing the uncertainty in the state of a system? And then I thought: what if this is exactly what happens to biological beings? I then suggested that time for biological beings can pass a little differently in relation to physical time. Yes of course you do not allow for this, but as a biologist it is excusable for me to make mistakes in physics. Let us assume that we, as living beings, are the real masters of time! This means that in biological time we can look several steps further than in physical time. Or rather, we can look at several possible options for the future, and then decide which option is more beneficial for self-preservation. We, as living beings, make this choice unconsciously and without knowing it! When a basketball player hits the ring from a distance of ten meters, he must give exact commands to several hundred muscles, and he chooses the right combination. As such even when we pick up a crystal glass and do not crush it or drop it, we are choosing the right option for the future. When a driver stops a car and a moment later a truck rushes past in the place where he should have been, the correct option for the future was implemented. This happens to us and to all living beings every moment. Otherwise, we simply would not be able to survive.

Aizik nodded encouragingly, Something like what an electron does, which has a set of possibilities for its future or its Everett Worlds. And only the so-called observer, without knowing it, decides its fate, chooses their own personal future, knowledge of which is available only to them, the owner of biological time, although they do not even realize it! Therefore, the life and death of Schrödinger's Cat is decided by the one who observes it, in accordance with their own chosen branch of the future.

Bellisa was outraged and said loudly, I don’t understand anything what was just said. Ernesto, explain it to me!

Ernesto said hesitantly, Aizik is talking about his ‘quantum’ affairs, with everything entangled in every sense of that word. You don't have to understand it. The main thing that Lu-Shi claims is that a biological being extracts information from the future and in accordance with that, corrects the present.

Yes. And I have proven it! repeated Lu-Shi.

What nonsense! Ernesto turned to Aizik.

Attention everybody! intervened Aizik, If we assume for a second that our friend is right, then we all pump information into the present from possible futures, and thus we use it to reduce the likelihood of errors in our actions and at the same time have the opportunity to make our structures more complex. We just saw how 10 out of 10 coin toss results were guessed and this would mean that he has learned to look into the future. In addition, I would like to ask as a physicist who is at the same time a biological object: can I guess the results of radioactive decay? Well really, why not? But what are we talking about... You're a biologist, please continue.

Lu-Shi nodded, Yes, a more accurate choice helps us to survive or do things that are very important for the prosperity of the family, but not just that. As our friend Ernesto said, guessing the future gives us a direct path to the complexity of the system. That is a free lunch. And in biology, this can happen not only at the level of everyday survival, but also at the level of genetic coding. And that was my second guess.

Aizik was now worried. Are you really suggesting that genetic mutations are not a random process, but a process guided by a vision of the future and take place to ensure survival? And then you can easily explain the mysterious mechanisms of evolution, which creates more complex structures from simple ones. So they are not natural selection at all but choices of correct evolutionary options?

Lu-Shi looked at Ernesto, "Yes, it’s something like that. We can imagine that there is a probability that polar bears began to appear even before the great ice age. And this means that changes in genes are not only a natural random process, the results of which you may not live to see. They are regulated and directed as choices of potential options for the future. It is information from potential futures that provides us with opportunities to make true choices, including ones that are genetic and possibly even those that are epigenetic. Such choices are made by all biological mechanisms at all levels, from the elementary cell to the higher functions of the brain. Without information from the future, or rather, probable scenarios of the future, we could not move the tip of our little finger or even utter simple words and cells could not control gene