Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026
11:10
Conducting Miller-Urey Experiments
Published on: January 21, 2014
[Life is inalienable component of matter evolution]
Advances in Gerontology = Uspekhi Gerontologii
|August 4, 2005
Summary
The law of temporal hierarchies reveals that biological systems operate near equilibrium, allowing study via hierarchical thermodynamics. This supports universal natural laws across all matter levels.
Area of Science:
- Thermodynamics
- Systems Biology
- Biophysics
Context:
- Biological systems are complex and open, exhibiting hierarchical structures.
- Understanding these systems requires frameworks that account for their dynamic and multi-level nature.
Purpose:
- To introduce the law of temporal hierarchies for analyzing biological systems.
- To apply hierarchical quasi-equilibrium thermodynamics to understand ontogenesis and evolution.
- To demonstrate that biological processes occur in quasi-closed systems near equilibrium.
Summary:
- The law of temporal hierarchies enables identification of quasi-closed monohierarchical systems within open polyhierarchical biological systems.
- Hierarchical quasi-equilibrium thermodynamics can determine the direction of ontogenesis and evolutionary processes.
- Most supramolecular and structure-forming processes in biology occur in quasi-closed systems near equilibrium, analyzable by hierarchical thermodynamics.
Impact:
- Supports the universality of natural laws across all matter hierarchies, echoing classical scientific thought.
- Validates the use of equilibrium (quasi-equilibrium) thermodynamics for studying biological phenomena in vivo and in vitro.
- Provides a thermodynamic basis for understanding the origin, evolution, and development of living systems.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Characteristics of Life
Biology is a natural science that studies life and living organisms, including their structure, function, development, interactions, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. The field's scope is extensive and divided into several specialized disciplines, such as anatomy, physiology, ethology, genetics, and many more. All living things share a few key traits, including cellular organization, heritable genetic material and the ability to adapt/evolve, metabolism to regulate energy needs, the...
02:06Conditions on Early Earth
Around 4 billion years ago, oceans began to condense on earth while volcanic eruptions released nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen into the primordial atmosphere. However, organisms with the characteristics of life were not initially present on earth. Scientists have used experimentation to determine how organisms evolved that could grow, reproduce, and maintain an internal environment.
02:35What is Evolutionary History?
Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.Phylogenetic trees illustrate the evolutionary relationships among these organisms. Scientists infer organisms’ common ancestry by evaluating shared morphological and genetic characteristics. Together, the fossil...
02:06Conditions on Early Earth
Around 4 billion years ago, oceans began to condense on earth while volcanic eruptions released nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen into the primordial atmosphere. However, organisms with the characteristics of life were not initially present on earth. Scientists have used experimentation to determine how organisms evolved that could grow, reproduce, and maintain an internal environment.
01:24Eukaryotic Evolution
The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
01:26Requirements for Human Life
The Earth and its atmosphere have provided humans with air, water, and food, but these are not the only requirements for survival. Humans also require a specific range of temperature and pressure that the Earth and its atmosphere provides.
Oxygen
Atmospheric air is only about 20 percent oxygen, but that oxygen is a key component of the chemical reactions that keep the body alive, including the reactions that produce ATP. Brain cells are susceptible to a lack of oxygen because they require a...
Oxygen
Atmospheric air is only about 20 percent oxygen, but that oxygen is a key component of the chemical reactions that keep the body alive, including the reactions that produce ATP. Brain cells are susceptible to a lack of oxygen because they require a...