The broad application of thermodynamic laws to living systems at all scales, from enzyme kinetics and cellular respiration to ecosystem energy flow. It quantifies the efficiency of life's engines, the entropy cost of maintaining order, and the energy constraints driving evolution. It asks: How much useful work can a cell extract from a glucose molecule? What are the absolute thermodynamic limits to growth and complexity?
Example: "Studying biological thermodynamics ruined buffets for him. He saw his plate not as food, but as a disordered high-energy system he would spend hours degrading into heat, waste, and a tiny bit of ordered structure (his body), all while increasing the universe's total entropy. He still ate the shrimp, but with existential solemnity."
by Abzugal January 30, 2026
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