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Updated: Feb 21, 2026

Perspectives on Neuroscience
Published on: July 31, 2007
[Life as a process of existence, reproduction and aging of polyhierarchical systems]
1International Academy of Creative Endeavors (science-culture); N. N. Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, RAS, Moscow, 117977, Russian Federation; academy@creatacad.org.
Abstract:
Comments on the definitions of life as a process of functioning polyhierarchic biological structures in the conditions of flow of energy to systems and existence of liquid water are presented. The phenomenon of life can be considered as a complex process of repeated cycles of origin, reproduction, aging, and death of polyhierarchical systems. Laws of thermodynamics and the principle of substance stability «are the driving forces» of this process. Life is a set of non-spontaneous and spontaneous processes of transformation and exchange of structures of different hierarchies in spatially isolated biological systems.
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