Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Theories of Dissolution: Diffusion Layer Model01:15

Theories of Dissolution: Diffusion Layer Model

2.0K
Dissolution, the process by which drug particles dissolve in a solvent, is explained by the diffusion layer model, a theoretical framework that simulates the absorption of oral drugs and allows us to analyze experimental data.
This process starts with a thin layer, saturated with the drug, forming at the interface between the solid and liquid. The solute then diffuses from this layer into the main solution. The Noyes-Whitney equation suggests that the rate of dissolution relies on the diffusion...
2.0K
Noncovalent Attractions in Biomolecules02:35

Noncovalent Attractions in Biomolecules

65.7K
Noncovalent attractions are associations within and between molecules that influence the shape and structural stability of complexes. These interactions differ from covalent bonding in that they do not involve sharing of electrons.
Four types of noncovalent interactions are hydrogen bonds, van der Waals forces, ionic bonds, and hydrophobic interactions.
Hydrogen bonding results from the electrostatic attraction of a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a strong-electronegative atom like oxygen,...
65.7K
Noncovalent Attractions in Biomolecules02:35

Noncovalent Attractions in Biomolecules

19.7K
19.7K
Entropy within the Cell01:22

Entropy within the Cell

13.7K
A living cell's primary tasks of obtaining, transforming, and using energy to do work may seem simple. However, the second law of thermodynamics explains why these tasks are harder than they appear. None of the energy transfers in the universe are completely efficient. In every energy transfer, some amount of energy is lost in a form that is unusable. In most cases, this form is heat energy. Thermodynamically, heat energy is defined as the energy transferred from one system to another that...
13.7K
Chemistry of the Cell02:58

Chemistry of the Cell

49.3K
The cell is chemically composed of water, organic molecules and inorganic ions.
Water
The polarity of the water molecule and its resulting hydrogen bonding makes water a unique substance with special properties that are intimately tied to the processes of life. Life originally evolved in an aqueous environment, and most of an organism’s cellular chemistry and metabolism occur inside the aqueous contents of the cell’s cytoplasm. Special properties of water are its high heat capacity...
49.3K
The DNA Helix01:07

The DNA Helix

30.9K
Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is the genetic material responsible for passing traits from generation to generation in all organisms and most viruses. DNA is composed of two strands of nucleotides that wind around each other to form a spring-like structure called a double helix. However, the double helix is not perfectly symmetrical. Instead, there are regularly occurring grooves in the structure. The major groove occurs where the sugar-phosphate backbones are relatively far apart. This space...
30.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The Pigment World: Life's Origins as Photon-Dissipating Pigments.

Life (Basel, Switzerland)·2024
Same author

The Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics of Natural Selection: From Molecules to the Biosphere.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2023
Same author

Dissipative Photochemical Abiogenesis of the Purines.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2022
Same author

A Photon Force and Flow for Dissipative Structuring: Application to Pigments, Plants and Ecosystems.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2022
Same author

The Dissipative Photochemical Origin of Life: UVC Abiogenesis of Adenine.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2021
Same author

Photon Dissipation as the Origin of Information Encoding in RNA and DNA.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2020

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Author Spotlight: Developing Synthetic Cells from Programmable Amphiphilic DNA Nanostructures
08:02

Author Spotlight: Developing Synthetic Cells from Programmable Amphiphilic DNA Nanostructures

Published on: May 31, 2024

1.5K

Molecular Dissipative Structuring: The Fundamental Creative Force in Biology.

Karo Michaelian1

  • 1Department of Nuclear Physics and Application of Radiation, Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Interior de la Investigación Científica, Cuidad Universitaria, Mexico City CP 04510, Mexico.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 27, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Life

Keywords:
abiogenesisbiospheremolecular dissipative structuringnatural selectionnon-equilibrium thermodynamicsorigin of lifeprebiotic chemistrythermodynamic dissipation theorythermodynamic selection

More Related Videos

Self-assembly of Complex Two-dimensional Shapes from Single-stranded DNA Tiles
10:23

Self-assembly of Complex Two-dimensional Shapes from Single-stranded DNA Tiles

Published on: May 8, 2015

12.2K
Designing a Bio-responsive Robot from DNA Origami
13:32

Designing a Bio-responsive Robot from DNA Origami

Published on: July 8, 2013

22.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Author Spotlight: Developing Synthetic Cells from Programmable Amphiphilic DNA Nanostructures
08:02

Author Spotlight: Developing Synthetic Cells from Programmable Amphiphilic DNA Nanostructures

Published on: May 31, 2024

1.5K
Self-assembly of Complex Two-dimensional Shapes from Single-stranded DNA Tiles
10:23

Self-assembly of Complex Two-dimensional Shapes from Single-stranded DNA Tiles

Published on: May 8, 2015

12.2K
Designing a Bio-responsive Robot from DNA Origami
13:32

Designing a Bio-responsive Robot from DNA Origami

Published on: July 8, 2013

22.9K

Area of Science:

  • Non-equilibrium thermodynamics
  • Origin of life studies
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Macroscopic dissipative structures are common in nature.
  • Microscopic dissipative structures, driven by photon or ATP, are less recognized.
  • The thermodynamic dissipation theory offers a new perspective on life's origins.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of UV light in the origin of life.
  • To propose UV-C molecular dissipative structuring as a key mechanism.
  • To explore the thermodynamic imperative driving biological complexity.

Main Methods:

  • Review of historical UV light research in abiogenesis.
  • Proposal of UV-C dissipative structuring for biomolecules.
  • Analysis of thermodynamic selection principles.

Main Results:

  • Core biomolecules originated as self-organized molecular dissipative structures (chromophores/pigments).
  • These structures absorbed and dissipated intense UV-C and UV-B solar radiation.
  • Thermodynamic coupling led to increased complexity, photosynthesis, and the modern biosphere.

Conclusions:

  • Thermodynamic selection of dissipative structures is the fundamental creative force in biology.
  • This process, driven by solar photon dissipation, predates Darwinian natural selection.
  • Life's origin and evolution are rooted in the thermodynamic imperative to dissipate energy.