From physical to biological time.

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Thermodynamics
• Philosophy of Time

Background:

• Physics (classical, quantum, relativistic) treats time as directionless and reversible.
• Thermodynamics acknowledges irreversibility empirically via entropy but not as a fundamental law.
• The arrow of time is critically important in biological processes, unlike in physics.

Purpose of the Study:

• Propose a novel concept of time that is both primitive and oriented.
• Investigate the role of time's flow and irreversibility in biological order, maintenance, and senescence.
• Clarify the relationship between entropy, order, and disorder in biological systems.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual proposal of an oriented, primitive time.
• Application of thermodynamics of irreversible processes to living organisms.
• Analysis of entropy and order using phase space concepts.
• Examination of current aging models using thermodynamical analogies.

Main Results:

• Life adheres to the thermodynamic law of entropy increase, understood through irreversible processes.
• The relationship between entropy and disorder is more nuanced than simple equivalence.
• Biological systems exhibit complex hierarchical levels and randomness influencing organization.
• Existing time concepts in physics and thermodynamics lack the notion of the 'present'.

Conclusions:

• An oriented, primitive time is essential for understanding biological phenomena from development to death.
• A precise relationship between entropy and order, using phase space, aids in understanding biological complexity.
• Thermodynamic principles, when applied to living beings, reveal insights into aging and life maintenance.
• The subjective experience of 'the present' remains a critical, unaddressed aspect of time in scientific models.