The three fundamental dimensions of protein β-sheets — axial rise per residue (3.5 Å), inter-strand Cα-Cα distance (5.0 Å), and repeat pitch (7.0 Å) — form a geometric sequence with ratio √2, deviating by only 1.0% from the mathematical ideal. This paper presents the evidence, proposes a mechanism, and draws a distinction that may be fundamental to the nature of living matter. The Asymptotic √2 Hypothesis proposes that while physical and mathematical systems achieve exact √2 relationships (cos 45° = √2/2 identically), biological systems tend toward √2 as an optimization target constrained by thermal fluctuations, evolutionary pressures, and molecular flexibility. The characteristic deviation window — 0.5% to 3% — may be a universal signature distinguishing living matter from crystalline or synthetic structures. Below 0.5% suggests non-biological precision; above 3% suggests the target is not √2. Three physical mechanisms explain why β-sheets converge to √2 geometry. Vibrational coherence: √2 is irrational, preventing resonance buildup that would destabilize the structure (unlike rational ratios which create destructive standing wave nodes). Packing efficiency: √2 appears in optimal sphere packing lattices, and β-sheet side chains may pack most efficiently at this geometry. Folding guidance: if √2 geometry represents a local energy minimum, it serves as a geometric attractor during folding, reducing the conformational search space — partially resolving the Levinthal paradox (how proteins find their native fold among ~10³⁰⁰ possible conformations in milliseconds). Statistical validation compares √2 against five competing constants (φ, √3, π/2, e/2, 3/2) using the same crystallographic data. √2 provides the best fit with the smallest mean deviation. The comparison is not cherry-picked: all six constants are tested on the same three measurements. A connection to AlphaFold is proposed: the deep learning system's success in protein structure prediction may partially reflect its implicit learning of √2 geometric constraints in β-sheets — a testable hypothesis by analyzing AlphaFold's internal representations for geometric biases. Falsifiable predictions include: systematic analysis of >10,000 PDB structures should show statistical enrichment of √2-adjacent dimension ratios; disease-associated β-sheet misfolding (amyloid) should show systematic deviation from √2 toward rational ratios; and artificially engineered β-sheets constrained to exact √2 geometry should exhibit enhanced thermodynamic stability compared to natural variants.
Thierry Marechal (Sun,) studied this question.