Non-linear dynamics in biological microtubules: solitons and dissipation-free energy transfer

I review some recent developments concerning soliton solutions in biological microtubules and their significance in transferring energy without dissipation. I discuss various types of soliton solutions, as well as 'spikes', of the associated non-linear Lagrange equations describing the dynamics of a 'pseudo-spin non-linear σ -model' that models the dynamics of a microtubule system with dipole-dipole interactions. These results will hopefully contribute to a better understanding of the functional properties of microtubules, including the motor protein dynamics and the information transfer processes. With regards to the latter we also speculate on the use of microtubules as 'logical' gates. Our considerations are classical, but the soliton solutions may have a microscopic quantum origin, which we briefly touch upon. (paper)