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Intrinsic times in biology
Acta Physiologica Et Pharmacologica Latinoamericana : Organo De La Asociacion Latinoamericana De Ciencias Fisiologicas Y De La Asociacion Latinoamericana De Farmacologia
|January 1, 1985
Summary
This study compares physical and biological time concepts, finding that dimensional analysis of organismal "intrinsic times" accurately predicts allometric scaling exponents. These findings offer a unified framework for understanding biological time across different scales.
Area of Science:
- Comparative biology
- Physical sciences
- Theoretical biology
Background:
- The concept of time differs between physical sciences (absolute vs. relational) and biological sciences ('intrinsic' times).
- Organisms are viewed as 'mixed regimes' where intrinsic times vary based on mechanical, biological, and transport similarities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare physical and biological concepts of time.
- To investigate intrinsic times in biological systems using similarity criteria.
- To quantitatively predict allometric scaling exponents through dimensional analysis.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of absolute vs. relational time in physics with intrinsic biological times.
- Application of three similarity criteria: mechanical, biological, and transport.
- Utilizing dimensional analysis to predict reduced exponents of body weight ratio.
- Comparing theoretical predictions with empirically found allometric exponents (Huxley's power equation).
Main Results:
- Dimensional analysis provides quantitative predictions for reduced exponents related to body weight.
- Theoretical predictions show a satisfactory correlation with empirical findings for biological chronological functions.
- The study establishes a link between physical principles and biological scaling laws.
Conclusions:
- A unified approach to understanding time in both physical and biological contexts is proposed.
- Dimensional analysis offers a powerful tool for predicting biological scaling and allometry.
- The findings support the applicability of physical science concepts to biological phenomena.
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