In the Beginning was Information

intricately constructed light projectors, concentrating lenses, or other opticalequipment which can, for example, direct a ray of light in a specificdirection. The projectors are constructed in such a way that a mosaic ofthousands of minute crystals acts as a perfect mirror behind the luminoustissues. Some creatures even have colour filters (pigment membranes) forproducing any shade of colour.The inventiveness of the Creator is infinite, and we can only standamazed.A3.4.3 The Lung, an Optimal StructureAs in the case of biological systems, the construction of an efficient technologicalplant requires that the consumption of energy should be a minimum.One should pay special attention to irreversible processes, sincethey determine the cost of the energy. In flow processes, friction is thedecisive irreversible factor. Frictional losses can be reduced by havinglarge diameter conduits and by decreasing the contact areas. But there areconstraints: the provision of generous dimensions in a processing plantincreases investment costs considerably, and in living organisms muchmore basic energy would be required. The total quantity of energyrequired by an organ or a muscle consists of two parts, namely a certainminimum which is necessary for proper functioning, plus any increaseneeded for greater activity.Continuing the work of Swiss physiologist and Nobel Laureate Walter R.Hess (* 1881), and using the human lung as an example, E. R. Weibel[W2] showed that this optimisation problem is solved in a remarkableway. The lung is constructed in such a fashion that when the body tissuesare relatively inactive and thus require a minimum of input material andenergy, then only a small increase in the basic conversion process isinvolved to overcome pressure losses. The air passage branches into thewell-known two bronchi, each of which again branches into two smallerpassages having equal diameters. This pairwise furcation into smaller conduitscontinues until the 23rd level, which represents the finest air capillaries.The average ratio d 2 /d 1 of two consecutive diameters (d 2 followingd 1 ) is very nearly 0.8. When pressure decreases have to be a minimum fora given volume of conduits and laminar flow must be maintained, then theresult obtained by optimisation calculations in fluid dynamics is found tobe d 2 /d 1 = (1/2) 1/3 = 0.79370. This is consistent with the measured value of0.8 and this (1/2) 1/3 formula holds even more exactly for the furcations ofthe blood vessels supplying the lung. The more we study the details ofbiological systems, the stronger the impression becomes that their Creatoris a brilliant Constructor and Inventor.240