Biothermodynamic Key Opens the Door of Life Sciences: Bridging the Gap between Biology and Thermodynamics

Abstract

During the last 50 years, an interdisciplinary approach in research in various scientific fields has become widely spread. This process significantly deepens and widens our scientific knowledge, but on the other hand makes more difficult choosing a discipline to be used by students and young researchers. The dynamic development of science makes this choice even harder. There is a widely spread opinion that thermodynamics uses a rigorous mathematical apparatus. This paper describes that knowledge of the fundamental principles of thermodynamics is required for deep understanding of crucial biological processes. Thus the effort put into learning classical and nonequilibrium thermodynamics does not make harder, but easier gaining a better knowledge of biological processes. This essay is an attempt to convey personal experience in using thermodynamics to describe biological systems and processes they perform.

Biothermodynamics of Viruses from Absolute Zero (1950) to Virothermodynamics (2022)

“…Until 2019, despite the wide variety of viruses, they have been the subject of research of microbiology, virology, biology and medicine. However, inside host cells, viruses represent growing open chemical and thermodynamic systems [72][73][74][75]. Until 2019, elemental composition was known only for the poliovirus [76,77].…”

Thermodynamics of bacteria-phage interactions T4 and Lambda bacteriophages, and E. coli can coexist in natural ecosystems due to the ratio of their Gibbs energies of biosynthesis

“…The elemental composition of makes standard Gibbs energy of biosynthesis of phages different from that of their host cell. The more negative Gibbs energy of biosynthesis allows viruses to hijack their host cell metabolism [123,130,131]. Thus, biothermodynamic analysis reveals how the chemical structure of phages ultimately allows them to multiply inside their host cells, due to more negative Gibbs energy of biosynthesis.…”

Introducing the Physical Driving Forces into Biology

“…Thermodynamics is not among the favorite disciplines of life science students [Popovic, 2022a]. Thus, this paper suggested including elements of biothermodynamics of viruses, which represents the youngest sub-discipline within biothermodynamics, which has been intensely developed during the last several years.…”