Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
The physical origin of behaviour in biological organisms is distinct from those of non-living sys... more The physical origin of behaviour in biological organisms is distinct from those of non-living systems in one significant way: organisms exhibit intentionality or goal-directed behaviour. How may we understand and explain this important aspect in physical terms, grounded in laws of physics and chemistry? In this article, we discuss recent experimental and theoretical progress in this area and future prospects of this line of thought. The physical basis for our investigation is thermodynamics, though other branches of physics and chemistry have an important role. This article is part of the theme issue 'Thermodynamics 2.0: Bridging the natural and social sciences (Part 1)'.
In this paper, we discuss some well-known experimental observations on self-organization in dissi... more In this paper, we discuss some well-known experimental observations on self-organization in dissipative systems. The examples range from pure fluid flow, pattern selection in fluid–solid systems to chemical-reaction-induced flocking and aggregation in fluid systems. In each case, self-organization can be seen to be a function of a persistent internal gradient. One goal of this article is to hint at a common theory to explain such phenomena, which often takes the form of the extremum of some thermodynamic quantity, for instance the rate of entropy production. Such variational theories are not new; they have been in existence for decades and gained popularity through the Nobel Prize-winning work of theorists such as Lars Onsager and Ilya Prigogine. The arguments have evolved since then to include systems of higher complexity and for nonlinear systems, though a comprehensive theory remains elusive. The overall attempt is to bring out examples from physics, chemistry, engineering, and b...
All organisms depend on a supply of energetic resources to power behavior and the irreversible en... more All organisms depend on a supply of energetic resources to power behavior and the irreversible entropy-producing processes that sustain them. Dissipative structure theory has often been a source of inspiration for better understanding the thermodynamics of biology, yet real organisms are inordinately more complex than most laboratory systems. Here we report on a simulated chemical dissipative structure that operates as a proto cell. The simulated swimmer moves through a 1D environment collecting resources that drive a nonlinear reaction network interior to the swimmer. The model minimally represents properties of a simple organism including rudimentary foraging and chemotaxis and an analog of a metabolism in the nonlinear reaction network. We evaluated how dynamical stability of the foraging dynamics (i.e., swimming and chemotaxis) relates to the rate of entropy production. Results suggested a relationship between dynamical steady states and entropy production that was tuned by the ...
This project investigates the coordinative capabilities of coupled electrical dissipative structu... more This project investigates the coordinative capabilities of coupled electrical dissipative structures. The study of coordination among non-living dissipative structures promises to inform coordination among living systems
This project investigates the coordinative capabilities of coupled electrical dissipative structu... more This project investigates the coordinative capabilities of coupled electrical dissipative structures. The study of coordination among non-living dissipative structures promises to inform coordination among living systems
Physical systems maintained far from equilibrium exhibit self-organization of structure and behav... more Physical systems maintained far from equilibrium exhibit self-organization of structure and behavior. These dissipative structures can exhibit life-like qualities and activities, such as collective and coordinated behaviors. We review such collective behaviors in electrical and chemical dissipative structures. Electrical dissipative structures can functionally coordinate their behaviors to maximize the rate of entropy production. Coupled oscillating electrical dissipative structures exhibit in-phase and anti-phase coordinative modes characteristic of biological coupled oscillators. Chemical swimmers form collective flocks with emergent properties, including sensitivities to magnetic and thermal fields, and rudimentary navigational capabilities. We review previously published work on electrical and chemical dissipative structures in the context of functional coordination. We also present a novel study of the functional coordination within the electrical dissipative structure. These c...
Coordination within and between organisms is one of the most complex abilities of living systems,... more Coordination within and between organisms is one of the most complex abilities of living systems, requiring the concerted regulation of many physiological constituents, and this complexity can be particularly difficult to explain by appealing to physics. A valuable framework for understanding biological coordination is the coordinative structure, a self-organized assembly of physiological elements that collectively performs a specific function. Coordinative structures are characterized by three properties: (1) multiple coupled components, (2) soft-assembly, and (3) functional organization. Coordinative structures have been hypothesized to be specific instantiations of dissipative structures, non-equilibrium, self-organized, physical systems exhibiting complex pattern formation in structure and behaviors. We pursued this hypothesis by testing for these three properties of coordinative structures in an electrically-driven dissipative structure. Our system demonstrates dynamic reorgani...
Self-organization in nonequilibrium systems has been known for over 50 years. Under nonequilibriu... more Self-organization in nonequilibrium systems has been known for over 50 years. Under nonequilibrium conditions, the state of a system can become unstable and a transition to an organized structure can occur. Such structures include oscillating chemical reactions and spatiotemporal patterns in chemical and other systems. Because entropy and free-energy dissipating irreversible processes generate and maintain these structures, these have been called dissipative structures. Our recent research revealed that some of these structures exhibit organism-like behavior, reinforcing the earlier expectation that the study of dissipative structures will provide insights into the nature of organisms and their origin. In this article, we summarize our study of organism-like behavior in electrically and chemically driven systems. The highly complex behavior of these systems shows the time evolution to states of higher entropy production. Using these systems as an example, we present some concepts th...
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
The physical origin of behaviour in biological organisms is distinct from those of non-living sys... more The physical origin of behaviour in biological organisms is distinct from those of non-living systems in one significant way: organisms exhibit intentionality or goal-directed behaviour. How may we understand and explain this important aspect in physical terms, grounded in laws of physics and chemistry? In this article, we discuss recent experimental and theoretical progress in this area and future prospects of this line of thought. The physical basis for our investigation is thermodynamics, though other branches of physics and chemistry have an important role. This article is part of the theme issue 'Thermodynamics 2.0: Bridging the natural and social sciences (Part 1)'.
In this paper, we discuss some well-known experimental observations on self-organization in dissi... more In this paper, we discuss some well-known experimental observations on self-organization in dissipative systems. The examples range from pure fluid flow, pattern selection in fluid–solid systems to chemical-reaction-induced flocking and aggregation in fluid systems. In each case, self-organization can be seen to be a function of a persistent internal gradient. One goal of this article is to hint at a common theory to explain such phenomena, which often takes the form of the extremum of some thermodynamic quantity, for instance the rate of entropy production. Such variational theories are not new; they have been in existence for decades and gained popularity through the Nobel Prize-winning work of theorists such as Lars Onsager and Ilya Prigogine. The arguments have evolved since then to include systems of higher complexity and for nonlinear systems, though a comprehensive theory remains elusive. The overall attempt is to bring out examples from physics, chemistry, engineering, and b...
All organisms depend on a supply of energetic resources to power behavior and the irreversible en... more All organisms depend on a supply of energetic resources to power behavior and the irreversible entropy-producing processes that sustain them. Dissipative structure theory has often been a source of inspiration for better understanding the thermodynamics of biology, yet real organisms are inordinately more complex than most laboratory systems. Here we report on a simulated chemical dissipative structure that operates as a proto cell. The simulated swimmer moves through a 1D environment collecting resources that drive a nonlinear reaction network interior to the swimmer. The model minimally represents properties of a simple organism including rudimentary foraging and chemotaxis and an analog of a metabolism in the nonlinear reaction network. We evaluated how dynamical stability of the foraging dynamics (i.e., swimming and chemotaxis) relates to the rate of entropy production. Results suggested a relationship between dynamical steady states and entropy production that was tuned by the ...
This project investigates the coordinative capabilities of coupled electrical dissipative structu... more This project investigates the coordinative capabilities of coupled electrical dissipative structures. The study of coordination among non-living dissipative structures promises to inform coordination among living systems
This project investigates the coordinative capabilities of coupled electrical dissipative structu... more This project investigates the coordinative capabilities of coupled electrical dissipative structures. The study of coordination among non-living dissipative structures promises to inform coordination among living systems
Physical systems maintained far from equilibrium exhibit self-organization of structure and behav... more Physical systems maintained far from equilibrium exhibit self-organization of structure and behavior. These dissipative structures can exhibit life-like qualities and activities, such as collective and coordinated behaviors. We review such collective behaviors in electrical and chemical dissipative structures. Electrical dissipative structures can functionally coordinate their behaviors to maximize the rate of entropy production. Coupled oscillating electrical dissipative structures exhibit in-phase and anti-phase coordinative modes characteristic of biological coupled oscillators. Chemical swimmers form collective flocks with emergent properties, including sensitivities to magnetic and thermal fields, and rudimentary navigational capabilities. We review previously published work on electrical and chemical dissipative structures in the context of functional coordination. We also present a novel study of the functional coordination within the electrical dissipative structure. These c...
Coordination within and between organisms is one of the most complex abilities of living systems,... more Coordination within and between organisms is one of the most complex abilities of living systems, requiring the concerted regulation of many physiological constituents, and this complexity can be particularly difficult to explain by appealing to physics. A valuable framework for understanding biological coordination is the coordinative structure, a self-organized assembly of physiological elements that collectively performs a specific function. Coordinative structures are characterized by three properties: (1) multiple coupled components, (2) soft-assembly, and (3) functional organization. Coordinative structures have been hypothesized to be specific instantiations of dissipative structures, non-equilibrium, self-organized, physical systems exhibiting complex pattern formation in structure and behaviors. We pursued this hypothesis by testing for these three properties of coordinative structures in an electrically-driven dissipative structure. Our system demonstrates dynamic reorgani...
Self-organization in nonequilibrium systems has been known for over 50 years. Under nonequilibriu... more Self-organization in nonequilibrium systems has been known for over 50 years. Under nonequilibrium conditions, the state of a system can become unstable and a transition to an organized structure can occur. Such structures include oscillating chemical reactions and spatiotemporal patterns in chemical and other systems. Because entropy and free-energy dissipating irreversible processes generate and maintain these structures, these have been called dissipative structures. Our recent research revealed that some of these structures exhibit organism-like behavior, reinforcing the earlier expectation that the study of dissipative structures will provide insights into the nature of organisms and their origin. In this article, we summarize our study of organism-like behavior in electrically and chemically driven systems. The highly complex behavior of these systems shows the time evolution to states of higher entropy production. Using these systems as an example, we present some concepts th...
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Papers by Benjamin De Bari