This chapter is devoted to a foundational question in astrobiology: how and where did life originate? The narrative commences with a brief description of the four major categories of biomolecules (proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids) on Earth and their associated functions. Partly based on this knowledge, biophysical and biochemical constraints on the minimum size of a viable cell are derived. The various origin(s)-of-life hypotheses are discussed next – like the replication-first (e.g., RNA world) and metabolism-first paradigms – along with their attendant strengths and weaknesses. The pathways by which the building blocks of life (e.g., amino acids) could be synthesised through non-biological avenues, such as the famous Miller experiments, are elucidated. Subsequently, the abiotic channels that may facilitate the polymerisation of these molecules to yield biomolecules are delineated. The focus of the chapter is then shifted to the specialised environments that might have enabled the origin(s) of life to readily occur. Two candidates are reviewed in detail (submarine hydrothermal vents and hydrothermal fields), with others mentioned in passing. Finally, the concept of entropy and its subtle connections with living systems are sketched.

We show that for two classical Brownian particles there exists an analog ofcontinuous-variable quantum entanglement: The common probability distributionof the two coordinates and the corresponding coarse-grained velocitiescannot be prepared via mixing of any factorized distributions referring tothe two particles in separate. This is possible for particles which interactedin the past, but do not interact in the present. Three factors are crucial forthe effect: (1) separation of time-scales of coordinate and momentum whichmotivates the definition of coarse-grained velocities; (2) the resulting uncertaintyrelations between the coordinate of the Brownian particle and thechange of its coarse-grained velocity; (3) the fact that the coarse-grained velocity,though pertaining to a single Brownian particle, is defined on a commoncontext of two particles. The Brownian entanglement is a consequenceof a coarse-grained description and disappears for a finer resolution of theBrownian motion. We discuss possibilities of its experimental realizations inexamples of macroscopic Brownian motion.

The total 1pN gravitoelectric mass quadrupole orbital precessions of the Keplerian orbital elements are calculated in their full generality for an arbitrary orientation of the primary’s spin axis and a general orbital configuration of the test particle. Both the direct effects, due to the 1pN gravitoelectric mass quadrupole acceleration, and the mixed effects, due to the simultaneous action of the 1pN gravitoelectric mass monopole and Newtonian quadrupole accelerations, are calculated.

This chapter presents the basics of the mathematical formalism and methodologyof the prequantum classical statistical field theory (PCSFT). In theBild-conception framework, PCSFT gives an example of acausal theoretical model (CTM) beyond QM, considered as observationalmodel (OM). Generally CTM-OM correspondence is not as straightforwardas in Bell’s model with hidden variables. In PCSFT hidden variables are randomfields fluctuating at spatial and temporal scales which are essentiallyfiner than those approached by the present measurement technology. Thekey element of the PCSFT-QM correspondence is mapping of the complexcovariance operator of a subquantum random field to the density operator.For compound systems, the situation is more complicated. Here PCSFT providestwo descriptions of compound systems with random fields valued intensor vs. Cartesian product of the Hilbert spaces of subsystems. The lattermodel matches representation of compound systems in classical statisticalmechanics. Both approaches are used for measure-theoretic representationof the correlations violating the Bell inequalities.

The aim of this chapter is to attract attention of experimenters to the originalBell (OB) inequality which was shadowed by the common considerationof the CHSH inequality. Since this chapter is directed to experimenters, herewe present the standard viewpoint on the violation of the Bell inequality andthe EPR argument. There are two reasonsto test the OB inequality and not the CHSH inequality. First, theOB inequality is a straightforward consequence of the EPR argumentation.And only this inequality is related to the EPR–Bohr debate.The second distinguishing feature of the OB inequality was emphasizedby Pitowsky. He pointed out that the OB inequality provides a higherdegree of violations of classicality than the CHSH inequality. Thus, by violating the OBinequality it is possible to approach a higher degree of deviation from classicality.The main problem is that the OB inequality is derived under theassumption of perfect (anti-)correlations. However, the last few years have been characterizedby the amazing development of quantum technologies. Nowadays,there exist sources producing with very high probability the pairs of photonsin the singlet state. Moreover, the efficiency of photon detectors wasimproved tremendously. In any event one can start by proceeding with thefair sampling assumption.

The impact of a wide range of post-Keplerian perturbing accelerations, of whatever physical origin, on different types of observation-related quantities (Keplerian orbital elements, anomalistic, draconitic, and sidereal orbital periods, two-body range and range rate, radial velocity curve and radial velocity semiamplitude of spectroscopic binaries, astrometric angles RA and dec., times of arrival of binary pulsars, characteristic timescales of transiting exoplanets along with their sky-projected spin-orbit angle) is analytically calculated with standard perturbative techniques in a unified and consistent framework. Both instantaneous and averaged orbital shifts are worked out to the first and second order in the perturbing acceleration. Also, mixed effects, due to the simultaneous action of at least two perturbing accelerations, are treated.

The aim of this chapter is to highlight the possibility of applying the mathematicalformalism and methodology of quantum theory to model behaviourof complex biosystems, from genomes and proteins to animals, humans, ecologicaland social systems. Such models are known as quantum-like and theyshould be distinguished from genuine quantum physical modeling of biologicalphenomena. One of the distinguishing features of quantum-like models istheir applicability to macroscopic biosystems, or to be more precise, to informationprocessing in them. Quantum-like modeling has the base in quantuminformation theory and it can be considered as one of the fruits of the quantuminformation revolution. Since any isolated biosystem is dead, modelingof biological as well as mental processes should be based on theory of opensystems in its most general form – theory of open quantum systems. In thischapter we advertise its applications to biology and cognition, especiallytheory of quantum instruments and quantum master equation. We mentionthe possible interpretations of the basic entities of quantum-like models withspecial interest to QBism as maybe the most useful interpretation.

The precessions of the Keplerian orbital elements induced by several modified models of gravity are calculated. The latter ones are Yukawa, power-law, logarithmic, dark matter density profiles (exponential and power-law), once per revolution accelerations, constant accelerations, and Lorentz-violating symmetry.