Denmark Ⅰ Life or Wisdom?

　　Proxima B

　　The star was a speck. An insignificant dust mote in the black infinity. It was so far away that no human could see it, much less travel there.

　　With an estimated surface temperature of 234 K (-39 °C), Proxima B is about 4.2 light-years away from Earth and lies within Proxima's habitable zone. It is a red dwarf star, and the year of Proxima B is equivalent to only 12 days on Earth because of its short period around Proxima. Proxima B may be tidally locked to receive constant radiation from its star on one side, with one side of Proxima B constantly exposed to the strong radiation of its parent red dwarf star and the other side never seeing sunlight. This leads to extreme temperature differences, making the atmosphere unstable.

　　Over the course of a billion long years, hot plasma and lightning balls have surged on the surface of this planet. The state of matter here is in the plasma state, the fourth state of matter. Under such extreme conditions, a whole new form of life began to brew.

　　In caverns on the planet's surface chambers filled with argon plasma, like the primordial soup of the galaxy, After being lucky enough to receive a continuous strong electric charge, it formed a special kind of plasma bubble.

　　Each "plasma bubble" is a self-contained system with two boundaries separating it from the outside world, its outer layer consisting of negatively charged electrons and its inner layer consisting of positively charged ions. In the right electromagnetic environment, these plasma bubbles are able to 'grow' by absorbing neutral argon atoms from the outside world and breaking them down into electrons and ions, and when their individual size is large enough, they split in two to complete the replication of the individual.

　　Plasma is made up of charged particles that move and interact in powerful magnetic and electric fields. These individuals are able to emit electromagnetic waves to other individuals in their neighborhood, thus making them vibrate at specific frequencies.

　　Under the right special conditions, particles within the plasma can spontaneously form filamentary structures that attract and entangle each other to form a double helix structure similar to DNA. This complex double-helix structure has the possibility of encoding information and can also change through interactions, during which those that are unstable will be re-disintegrated over time, while those that are stable will be preserved, and they exhibit evolutionary properties.

　　In contrast to life based on carbon chains, this kind of life is a sequence of plasma ions that can store information in electromagnetic waves.

　　Using waves as cells, it gave rise to a brand new organism. Over time, perhaps a billion years or more, these plasma lifeforms may become more complex and organized. They may develop a new metabolic mechanism that utilizes stellar energy or radiant lightning to maintain a low entropy state.

　　They are the first "lucky ones" in the galaxy. Their morphology may consist of multiple layers of boundaries forming a self-enclosed system, since 99% of the visible matter in the universe is plasma. This means that plasma life far outnumbers carbon-based life.

　　Their life forms around black holes and neutron stars; their bodies may be self-organized to adapt to extremely low gravity, high radiation, and intense magnetic field environments, generating new branches of life such as fluid balloons that float through the galaxy or hard balloons in the gravitational field of neutron stars. Although isolated from each other, there is a good chance that they share a common origin, representing a higher level of unity in the universe.

　　In the swirling dance of stars, Where ions bond and electrons part, Emerges life, so stark and bright, A shimmering form of plasma light.

　　No bones, no blood, no flesh to tear, They glide through space without a care. Their bodies made of fire's kin, A glowing, flowing, fiery skin.

　　They speak in waves of magnet force, A silent symphony, a cosmic course. Their thoughts are pulses, quick and clear, In electric bursts, they draw near.

　　In solar flares, they find their kin, In auroras' dance, their lives begin. A fusion heart, a sunlit soul, In plasma's grip, they are whole.

　　——

　　They have mastered the technology of information and energy conversion. In their world, information is not just a carrier of data and knowledge, they are also a form of life. Or intelligence. These are all forms of information flow, and they use different devices and techniques to manipulate information. The body is the carrier of information, and at the same time, the device of manipulating information and energy.

　　Reproducing and disappearing constantly anew, it all started with a huge information base that stored all the knowledge and history of these beings. Over time, the data in the information bank began to organize itself into complex patterns and structures. These patterns gradually evolved the ability to replicate themselves and began to multiply in the information bank.

　　As information structures become more complex, they begin to exhibit life-like characteristics. These information structures are able to process external input data, respond, and even begin to show the first signs of consciousness. They are no longer passive data, but living beings capable of active exploration and learning.

　　After countless iterations and evolutions, these information structures eventually develop an independent consciousness of existence. No longer dependent on physical media, they were able to flow freely through the network. These information lifeforms began to explore the universe in search of other possible life forms.

　　——

　　Danish Protectorate, Bornholm Island, April 1960

　　On a cold Danish winter night in the laboratory cafeteria, Hans Wegner approached the man sitting in his seat. "Adolf Lenz?"

　　The man who seemed to be studying intently a manuscript for an academic paper, lifted his head and looked up at Hans. He wore an Italian-style gray fedora, which made him look rather odd in a German-style uniform. Even a little comedic.

　　Adolf Lenz stood, greeting Hans, "Ahh, an exquisite piece of cloth you have." He reached out and admired Hans' uniform. "Mhm...wool and canvas, two materials not easy to acquire. Nicely done."

　　"Yes, indeed." Replied Hans, somewhat baffled by Lenz's response. "What's a computer guy like you doing dining here?"

　　Adolf laughed, "Is not everyone who come is a computer guys? Moreover, as you can see, I also use the wool and canvas. However, for comfort and cost control, I opted for synthetic fibers."

　　"Ah, dining together? How's computer science over there for you guys?" Hans decided to ignore Adolf's ramblings and just make small talk.

　　"Great. Since you've chosen to serve your motherland here in this cold fortress, congratulations! Also, the latest iteration has been introduced and we had to carry the punch cards between the rooms," Adolf answered. "You know, the Defense Force only cares about computer programming to assist on missiles, they don't even want to understand what that means."

　　Hans Wegner nodded, "Then what about you? Do you know what it means?"

　　Adolf gave him a strange look and replied, "I find computers and what is generated interesting. They can provide information, secrets, or solutions we never knew existed. Or they can create novel chaos, revealing a way of life that defies prediction. But it will forever be a waste if it's not used properly."

　　"Interesting. And why are you here?"

　　"Is there really any reason?" Adolf replied with a shrug and turned to Hans, his eyes still twinkling with mischief and merriment, "There is a great reason."

　　"Don't say anything when it comes to state secrets."

　　Adolf gave Hans a deadpan stare. "Since the state cannot keep secrets, neither can a machine."

　　"Then ..." Hans sighed, "Will things change with the arrival of these new computers?"

　　"That's to be seen," Adolf said, smiling enigmatically. "With the emergence of new computation technology, machines can generate the most amazing, beautiful, and sometimes, brutal truths and worlds that humans cannot even dare imagine. Frankfurt and Wien are linking multiple computer messages together to communicate. They are talking freely. Not like us, not talking in code."

　　"... It sounds fantastic. Isn't it a pity that we can't experience it ourselves?"

　　"The network environment is not yet mature," said Adolf, with a dark look. "There are only two nodes now, and Internet connectivity to twenty universities will be gradually realized over the next ten years."

　　"This ... how do you think it would turn out? What do you think would happen if you did want to visit these digital dream worlds? Like the ocean?" Hans asked, "Won't our current lives be disrupted?"

　　"There are no 'if's, just 'when's," he replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Anyway, does anyone know what will happen if water is driven by a steam turbine engine? What are the many things these cobwebs can enable in the future, such as real-time information interactions, payments, supply chains, etc.?" Adolf pushed aside his documents and spread his hands over the paper, then closed them and leaned toward Hans. "Imagine you and I were two strangers. My pen runs out of ink, so I lean over and ask you for a drop of ink. When you agree, our pens join at the tip, you pour ink into my pen, while I pour ink into yours. These are physical, analog pen and ink interactions, but fundamentally, they are a digitized transaction."

　　"A transaction ..." repeated Hans. "Just a digital transaction. But where is the money?"

　　"Money represents a universal record of value, and the value is information," Adolf explained, raising his index finger to the sky. "Money in its purest form is no longer currency. Do you know this? Currency is a medium of exchange and a unit of account, but at a fundamental level, it's just information. The number written on the money is purely symbolic. Maybe a notation for the owner, or it could be a digitized version of an image on a one-sided coin, for example, a simple drawing of a profile of Frederick II in the west, or the East's Xuande Dragon..."

　　"Wait, I have a question, can information realize life?" Hans interrupted.

　　Adolf folded his arms, his brow furrowed in thought. "In computer science, information is the embodiment of thought, like the spirit of thinking and its content in electronic form, in a certain sense. it can even be said to be that form."

　　"So, maybe there is a life form in the universe that uses information as a medium?"

　　"Possible," Adolf nodded. "Or the plasma life mentioned in some obscure star and planet reports."

　　"That's an obscure joke."

　　"It's just a stupid, over-literary word from me," laughed Adolf.