In the Beginning was Information

nature: mechanical work is performed when muscles contract many animalshave organs which can discharge electrical energy when substancesare absorbed or transported osmotic work is done, and in many cases theresult is chemical work. All these processes are included in an extensivemetabolic chain effected by an extremely complex and incompletelyunderstood enzyme system.5. High efficiency: Compared to fermentation (from glucose to lactic acid),respiration (from glucose to CO 2 and H 2 O) is an extremely efficient process,releasing all the energy stored in glucose molecules. The efficiency of thetransportation of electrons in this case is 91 %, a ratio which engineers canonly dream of. This fascinating process occurs in a brilliantly constructedsystem which continuously employs the “principle of a common intermediateproduct for the transfer of energy”. ATP is the link between reactionswhich supply energy and those which require energy; in other words, cellshave an energy exchange unit which is readily convertible. The processeswhich release energy provide the “currency” which is then spent by thoseprocesses requiring energy. The ATP system channels the transfer of energy,providing the cell with excellent control over the flow of energy.The biological energy conversion system is so brilliantly and cleverlydesigned that energy engineers can only watch fascinated. Nobody has yetbeen able to copy this highly miniaturised and extremely efficient mechanism.A3.4 Conservation of Energy in Biological SystemsIn regard to the relationship between physics and biology, Alfred Gierer, aphysicist of Tübingen (Germany), concluded [G1]: “Physics is the mostgeneral science since it can be applied to all events in space and time,while biology is the most complex science which involves ourselves to alarge extent.” Some important questions now arise: Are there any processesoccurring in living organisms where physical and chemical laws do notapply? Does a living organism differ fundamentally from a machine ornot? Could biology be based on physics? Two aspects should be consideredvery carefully before we can answer such questions, namely:1. Course of events: All biological processes strictly obey physical andchemical laws (see theorems N2, N3, and N4 in paragraph 2.3). Theselaws, however, only delineate the external framework within which therelevant events generally occur. The environment imposes additional constraints.Furthermore, the inherent operational information (see Chapter11 for a definition) underlies all functions of living organisms. All thesemostly very complex processes are program controlled.236