In the Beginning was Information

individual catalytic enzyme reactions which follow one another in exactlythe required sequence, and employ just as many intermediate compounds.Adenosin triphosphate (ATP) has some special chemical properties whichenable it to perform important functions. It belongs to the group ofnucleotides, comprising adenine, C 5 -sugar, D-ribose, and phosphategroups. When nutrients are oxidised to generate energy, the more energyrichATP is formed from adenosin diphosphate (ADP). The energy storedin ATP can then subsequently be utilised by conversion into chemical work(e. g. biosynthesis), mechanical actions (e. g. muscular effort), or osmotictransportation. When this happens, the ATP loses one phosphate group, andreverts to ADP. In this energy transfer system ATP is thus the charged substance,and the ADP is neutral. The numerous very complex intermediatechemical steps in this ATP/ADP energy cycle are catalysed by a specificset of enzymes. In addition to this general flow of biological energy, thereare some very clever special mechanisms for energy conversion.Certain fishes like the electric eel can generate electrical pulses of severalhundred volts directly from chemical energy. Similarly, light flashes emittedby some animals and organisms represent converted chemical energy.The bombardier beetle converts the chemical energy contained in hydrogenperoxide into explosive pressure and volume changes.Machines constructed for the purpose of energy utilisation essentiallyinvolve the generation of easily transportable electrical energy in a roundaboutway by first producing heat. Heat Q can only perform useful workW when there is a temperature difference T 2 - T 1 . The theoretical maximumamount of work that can be performed by a heat engine, is given bythe Carnot formula:234W = Q x (T 2 - T 1 )/T 2T 2 can be the initial temperature of the steam entering a turbine, for example,and T 1 can be the exhaust temperature. It follows that large temperaturedifferences are required to produce a reasonable amount of usefulwork. In living cells the processes for generating energy must be fundamentallydifferent, since all reactions have to take place at the temperatureof the cell; in other words, the processes must be isothermic. The refinedenergy concepts realised in cells utilize substances which are unstable toheating, but still achieve exceptionally high degrees of efficiency.The cells: A living cell can be compared with a factory comprising severaldepartments, each of which has a certain number of machines.The work of all the cell’s departments and machines iinvolves optimallygeared interrelationships exhibiting planning down to the last detail. The end