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Biological thermodynamics (Thermodynamics of biological systems) is a science that explains the nature and general laws of thermodynamic processes occurring in living organisms as nonequilibrium thermodynamic systems that convert the energy of the Sun and food into other types of energy. The nonequilibrium thermodynamic state of living ...
Non-cellular life, also known as acellular life, is life that exists without a cellular structure for at least part of its life cycle. [1] Historically, most definitions of life postulated that an organism must be composed of one or more cells, [2] but, for some, this is no longer considered necessary, and modern criteria allow for forms of life based on other structural arrangements.
The mechanism, now ubiquitous in living cells, powers energy conversion in micro-organisms and in the mitochondria of eukaryotes, making it a likely candidate for early life. [ 172 ] [ 173 ] Mitochondria produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of the cell used to drive cellular processes such as chemical syntheses.
Bioenergetics is a field in biochemistry and cell biology that concerns energy flow through living systems. [1] This is an active area of biological research that includes the study of the transformation of energy in living organisms and the study of thousands of different cellular processes such as cellular respiration and the many other metabolic and enzymatic processes that lead to ...
All known living things are made up of one or more cells [13] All living cells arise from pre-existing cells by division. The cell is the fundamental unit of structure and function in all living organisms. [14] The activity of an organism depends on the total activity of independent cells. [15] Energy flow (metabolism and biochemistry) occurs ...
Abiotic components include physical conditions and non-living resources that affect living organisms in terms of growth, maintenance, and reproduction. Resources are distinguished as substances or objects in the environment required by one organism and consumed or otherwise made unavailable for use by other organisms.
Animal corpses, like this African buffalo, are recycled by the ecosystem, providing energy and nutrients for living organisms. Death is the termination of all vital functions or life processes in an organism or cell. [31] [32] One of the challenges in defining death is in distinguishing it from life.
Purple non-sulfur bacteria, green non-sulfur bacteria, and heliobacteria are examples of bacteria that carry out this scheme of photoheterotrophy. Other organisms, including halobacteria and flavobacteria [ 8 ] and vibrios [ 9 ] have purple-rhodopsin-based proton pumps that supplement their energy supply.