ENERGY ASPECTS OF BIOLOGY

Karpin Vladimir, Shuvalova Olga

The most important manifestation of the vital activity of organisms is the constancy of the internal environment (homeostasis). It is provided primarily by the dynamic equilibrium of the metabolic processes of assimilation – dissimilation, which K. Bernard designated as a physiological axiom embracing all life phenomena. The most important problem of theoretical biology is the identification of intimate mechanisms for maintaining homeostasis in an unstable environment, including the mechanisms of self-organization of the observed dynamic equilibrium. The article attempts to represent homeostatic processes based on the thermodynamics of biological systems. This approach reveals not only the intimate mechanisms of the extraordinary stability of living organisms, but also the elements of its self-regulation.

Keywords:theoretical biology, homeostasis, energy aspects