freeing Gibbs energy of the livings

[AntonioLao]

Chapter 4 of Peter Atkins’ book “Four Laws: That Drive the Universe” gives a fuller account of free energy. Within 17 short pages he conveyed the greatest important of the Gibbs function (energy) for the sciences of chemistry and biology, especially in the study of energy utilization in living organisms called bioenergetics. Bioenergetics clearly argues that energy utilization is never 100%. The amounts needed for growing new tissues and cells always proceed along thermodynamic processes that simultaneously wasted energy as heat hence increasing entropy of the surrounding environment. Moreover, their efficiencies never exceed the ideal efficiency of the Carnot cycle for all reversible heat engines. In a limited biological sense, all living systems can be considered as a reversible heat engine functioning practically at constant atmospheric pressure and for human beings at constant healthy body temperature of 98.6°F.

To free the Gibbs energy of the livings, the change of the Gibbs function must always be positive: ∆G > 0. Otherwise, negative changes (∆G < 0) allow spontaneous random chemical reactions to occur and consequently the intermediate entropy increases and the organisms must die. On the other hand, if the Gibbs function can be maintained at minimum positive values then the organisms will live forever. Unfortunately, chaos theory implies that the heartbeat is truly a random spontaneous mechanism although the systolic and diastolic rhythms show regular patterns. Nonetheless, these patterns must hide the biological mechanism that prevents the changes of the Gibbs energy function becoming negative.

[labelwench]

The amounts needed for growing new tissues and cells always proceed along thermodynamic processes that simultaneously wasted energy as heat hence increasing entropy of the surrounding environment.
Originally posted by AntonioLeo

Is it hypothetical, that merely our increase in population, perhaps as much as any other purported activity, may be contributing heat to the global ecosystem?

Regards,

Labelwench

[AntonioLao]

Is it hypothetical

I believed it is a fact but not enough heat to contribute to global warming while for a bunch of people living in a house without heater their body heats can last them through the coldest winter. This had been done by the Emperor Penguins for many thousands of years.

[labelwench]

I believed it is a fact but not enough heat to contribute to global warming while for a bunch of people living in a house without heater their body heats can last them through the coldest winter. This had been done by the Emperor Penguins for many thousands of years.

In a pinch, I'd be sharing very close quarters with my horses.
They generate a significant amount of warmth. As the story goes, it was good enough for a deity born mortal, so it's good enough for me, lol....

[AntonioLao]

I'd be sharing very close quarters with my horses.

I'm having the same predicament of sharing the same room with a stray wild neighborhood kitten.