‘Life is Dynamic’, is Part Four of our ‘Life’ Series
In this post, Life is Dynamic, we continue our series on “Life” and our discussion of the ideas in Andy Pross‘s recent book, “What is Life?”.
The non-living part of the Universe, the vast majority of the Universe, is static, unlike Life which is dynamic.
But what about the stars, for example our sun, aren’t they dynamic?
Aren’t the orbits of the planets, and Earth’s tides and winds dynamic?
Perhaps, but not in the way that Life is dynamic.
The Sun is a Natural Fusion Reactor
The sun is a huge natural fusion reactor that produces energy in the form of high energy particles and photons. This energy is continuously released as a by product of the fusion of hydrogen nuclei to create helium nuclei, The fusion reaction is possible due to the crushing gravitational forces in the sun caused by its enormous mass and density. These forces produce extremely high pressures and temperatures within the sun. The resulting released particles and photons eventually radiate into space in the solar wind and radiation.
But the sun cannot maintain this reaction indefinitely. It cannot replenish, from some other source, its large but finite stock of hydrogen fuel. The sun will eventually run out of this fuel and come to the end of its life as an energy producing physical and static system within the Universe.
Entropy
The sun, like all things in the Universe, is subject to the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. That is, it is subject to increasing entropy which will inevitably transform its ordered molecules and fusion reaction into an ever expanding chaotic dispersal of its energy into space.
The end of the Universe will be a cold dead Universe where all the energy (particles and photons), from all the stars, has been emitted into space and randomly spread, relatively evenly in temperature and density, throughout space-time. This will be a state of maximum entropy for the entire Universe.
Life is Dynamic
Life on the other hand is dynamic in that it consists of biological systems that use energy and chemicals to create order from chaos.
These life systems are able to do this by feeding upon energy and chemical materials from its immediate external environment. Life systems are able to continually repair and renew themselves, and to reproduce copies of themselves. The individual systems die but not before reproducing descendants to maintain the system’s species.
Clock Analogy
Addy Pross, in his book “What is Life?”, uses an analogy to explain the difference between physical systems and biological life systems.
In a clock the components remain in place and continue to work until one or other of the parts wears out and the clock stops. This is a static system.
However, in a living cell the situation is significantly different. The cell (and its internal component systems) is a dynamic system with its parts continually being turned over (repaired, replaced, or renewed).
Life Systems
Being part of the Universe and made of some of the same elements of the Periodic Table as non-living physical matter, life systems are also subject to the 2nd law of Thermodynamics (See discussion on Entropy, above). In addition, life systems are completely reliant for their survival upon the availability of energy and materials within their immediate environment (e.g. within their part of the Earth’s biosphere, in the case of life systems on Earth).
Human Life
In the particular case of human beings, each person is composed of approximately 10 thousand billion cells. Interestingly, each living human body also contains more than 100 thousand billion foreign cells – bacteria.
Each human cell is composed of an array of biomolecules – lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, etc.
Intracellular protein is continually being turned over – cellular protein is constantly being degraded and resynthesized in a tightly regulated process.
One of the reasons for this dynamic process is to ensure that the protein’s structural integrity is maintained. Cells also turn over and the parts of us made up of these cells also turn over.
Essentially all of the stuff that makes us is being constantly turned over so that over a period of weeks you are, in a strictly material sense, a totally different person!
Life is Dynamic!
Yes, Life is dynamic! All of Earth’s biosphere’s living creatures, including microbes, plants, fungi, animals, etc. are continuously recreating themselves from their most basic biochemical molecules, through cells, through systems of cells and organs, to each whole creature itself.
These evolved biochemical systems and processes are incredibly complex and dynamic, far beyond any human system yet devised.
The Biosphere is Dynamic
By extension, this means that the Earth’s biosphere itself is incredibly complex, as the systems of living creature species that make up the Biosphere are the families of these extremely complex individual creatures.
Mankind is Dependent on the Biosphere
Homo Sapiens are just one of billions of species of creatures of all types that inhabit the Biosphere. We cannot live without the Biosphere, and therefore we cannot live without the other creatures that make up the Life on our planet, Earth.
Terraforming Non-Life Planets
Given the incredibly complex and interdependent dynamic nature of the living creatures that make up the Earth’s Biosphere, attempting to terraform a sterile planet such as Mars poses an enormous challenge.
(Post created: 16/03/2025)