5

I learnt in a course on Biological Physics that it is possible to generate order without violating the second law of thermodynamics. This can be done if "high quality" energy is delivered to the system and "low quality energy" is emitted. In the system of the sun-earth this is exactly the case: the sun delivers sunlight to the earth in a periodic manner and the earth emits energy in form of heat. Have simulations or theoretical models been done on this concept? I am searching, but I can't find anything. I am not sure what keywords to use. There must have been studies done on this already and I hope someone can point them out to me.

Qmechanic
  • 220,844
eeqesri
  • 1,764
  • 10
  • 24

1 Answers1

8

Not sure what sort of simulation or model you are looking for. Our proximity to the Sun creates a temperature and energy difference across the surface of the the Earth that is essential to almost all ecologies on Earth (the exceptions may be lithophiles that live within the Earth's crust and ecologies around hydrothermal vents). All organisms have mechanisms that reduce the local entropy or disorder within the organism at the expense of exporting disorder (as heat or waste products) to the surrounding environment. But the mechanisms for doing this are many and varied. The thermodynamic argument simply shows that it is possible for life to evolve without breaking the second law of thermodynamics - it does not constrain how life can evolve, so it is not something that can be simulated or modelled.

The Wikipedia article on entropy and life summarises the history of the thermodynamic argument, and provides a further reading list that may be useful.

gandalf61
  • 63,999