Temperature effects on cell-functioning--a critical role for vicinal water

Interfacially modified water ('vicinal water') appears to extend over distances of several molecular diameters from an adjacent interface and possesses highly unusual thermal properties. Specifically, the vicinal water undergoes relatively abrupt changes over narrow temperature intervals centered around 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees and 60 degrees C and these changes most likely reflect higher order (structural) phase transitions. Vicinal water occurs at all interfaces (independent of specific surface characteristics) and will therefore also be present in all biological cells. As a result, the effects of vicinal water ramify through all of cell biology and this explains many unexpected thermal anomalies seen in the temperature responses of a great variety of living systems. Thus, the concept of the thermal anomalies may explain such observations as abrupt changes in enzyme functioning; anomalous temperature effects in membrane processes; unusual cell volume responses to temperature; dramatic changes in erythrocyte sedimentation rates; anomalies in chromosome aberration rates; pasteurization temperature; upper and lower thermal limits for microbial growth; multiple growth optima and minima and body temperatures of mammals and birds.