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Is There a Fourth Law for Non-Ergodic Systems That Do Work to Construct Their Expanding Phase Space?
1Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 8, 2023
Summary
The Newtonian Paradigm and Second Law of Thermodynamics may not apply to evolving life. Life decreases entropy by creating ordered structures, challenging universal thermodynamic laws.
Area of Science:
- Thermodynamics
- Evolutionary Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- The Newtonian Paradigm assumes a fixed phase space, limiting the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
- Evolving life forms, as Kantian Wholes, perform thermodynamic work to self-construct.
- Evolution expands phase space exponentially, challenging traditional thermodynamic models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the validity of the Newtonian Paradigm and Second Law of Thermodynamics in the context of evolving life.
- To propose and test a 'Fourth Law of Thermodynamics' based on life's self-organization.
- To quantify the free energy cost and phase space localization during biological evolution.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of thermodynamic work performed by living cells and organisms.
- Mathematical modeling of phase space expansion during evolution.
- Quantification of biosphere localization within its phase space.
Main Results:
- Life constructs itself into smaller phase space sub-domains with decreasing free energy cost per degree of freedom.
- Biosphere localization in protein phase space is at least 10^-2540.
- Entropy demonstrably decreases in the evolving biosphere, contrary to the Second Law's universal application.
Conclusions:
- The Second Law of Thermodynamics fails at universal validity due to evolving life.
- The proposed Fourth Law of Thermodynamics posits biosphere localization with constant energy input.
- Life actively decreases entropy, creating order and challenging established physical paradigms.
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