Statistical Mechanics and Life: My thoughts

Whenever I contemplate the concept of self-assembly, as sparked by Erwin Schrödinger's book What is Life?, I find myself drawing parallels between the phenomenon of self-assembly and the functions of the human body, particularly in the self-assembly of its cells. The human body is composed of a vast number of cells, each with its own dynamics and function, yet collectively, they exhibit behaviour distinct from their individual components. This resembles a thermodynamic system, wherein cells can be compared to atoms in a gas, densely packed and characterized by a macrostate of (P, V, T) = (1 atm, V, 37°C). Beyond pressure and temperature, other physical properties, such as the pH of human blood, also have precise values. At a specific pH, blood cells do not aggregate but interact electrostatically. As previously noted, the human body can be viewed as a self-assembled collection of diverse cell types. In principle, this perspective should allow us to quantify key physical variables like entropy, heat, and free energy. By calculating the entropy and free energy associated with these cells, we could potentially quantitatively study living systems. If we could fully comprehend how these living systems function, we might unlock answers to many profound questions about life itself.

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Wandering from a philosophical perspective

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hisay lama

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