Biological thermodynamics: Ervin Bauer and the unification of life sciences and physics

Biosystems. 2023 Nov 22:105089. doi: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.105089. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTBiological systems operate toward the maximization of their self-maintenance and adaptability. This is achieved through the establishment of robust self-maintaining configurations acting as attractors resistant to external and internal perturbations. Ervin Bauer (1890-1938) was the first who formulated this essential thermodynamic constraint in the operation of biological systems, which he defined as the stable non-equilibrium state. The latter appears as the basic attractor relative to which biological organization is established. The stable non-equilibrium state represents a generalized cell energy status corresponding to efficient spatiotemporal organization of the fluxes of matter and energy and constantly reproducing the conditions of self-maintenance of metabolism and controlling the rates of major metabolic fluxes that follow thermodynamically and kinetically defined computational principles. This state is realized in the autopoietic structures having closed loops of causation based on the operation of biological codes. The principle of thermodynamic buffering determines the conditions for optimization of the fluxes of load and consumption in metabolism establishing the conditions of metabolic stable non-equilibrium. In developing and evolving biological systems, the principle of stable non-equilibrium is transformed into the principle of increasing external work, which...

Source: Biosystems - November 24, 2023 Category: Biotechnology Authors: Abir U Igamberdiev Source Type: research