The Invisible Energy Cost that Keeps Life From Falling Apart

The “Invisible” Energy Cost of Being Alive That Physics Long Ignored

A new JSTAT study shows how to compute the minimum energy cells use to sustain certain metabolic pathways while suppressing others, revealing a “cost” invisible to mechanical physics. There are “costs of life” that mechanical physics cannot capture. One example is the energy needed to keep particular biochemical processes running, including those involved in photosynthesis, [...]

The invisible energy cost that keeps life from falling apart

Living cells pay a hidden energy price not just to run chemical reactions, but to keep them on track and block all the alternatives. A new thermodynamic framework makes it possible to calculate these overlooked costs and compare different metabolic pathways. When tested on photosynthesis, the method showed that nature favors pathways that minimize wasted energy. This offers a powerful new lens on how life’s core processes may have evolved.

The (Metabolic) Cost Of Life - Astrobiology

There are “costs of life” that mechanical physics cannot calculate. A clear example is the energy required to keep specific biochemical processes active — such as those that make up photosynthesis, although the examples are countless — while preventing alternative processes from occurring. In mechanics, no displacement implies zero work, and, put simply, there is […] The post The (Metabolic) Cost Of Life appeared first on Astrobiology.

The (metabolic) cost of life

There are “costs of life” that mechanical physics cannot calculate. A clear example is the energy required to keep specific biochemical processes active — such as those that make up photosynthesis, although the examples are countless — while preventing alternative processes from occurring. In mechanics, no displacement implies zero work, and, put simply, there is no energetic cost for keeping things from happening. Yet careful stochastic thermod…