Entropy of Life

My perspective of
Entropy of Life

As a child I have always been interested not only in HOW things happen, but WHY.
I continually sought the knowledge no matter where I was; while playing in the sunshine and the rain, and in the many fields and streams near home. This is my view from youth...

"Nature does nothing uselessly."
Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)

As energy from the sun hits the earth, it's energy cascades down a long convoluted path of Entropy Stages: water is evaporated, clouds are made, the earth is warmed, plants photosynthisise, automobiles move, anamals play, and so on. If you measure the energy of sun before it hits the earth, and you also measure all of the energy in all of its hidden final places, you will find the two energys are the same. There is no missing energy. But there are all of these wonderous actions that the energy has taken. The starting energy and the final energy remains always the same, as physical laws dictate. The nature of energy is to exploit the many avenues of travel (or degrees of freedom). Energy will disperse itself in the fastest, most convenient, and the most available paths. Energy is opportunistic: if there is a way for energy to flow, it will ALWAYS take that way. Energy's nature is to disperse.

The process is called Entropy.

In physics, there are localized decreases in entropy paths: More order is locally gained; But always at the greater expense of global increase in entropy. A refrigerator is a good example: More heat is being produced on the outside than the amount of cold produced on the inside. Entropy was born with a mathematical treatment originally from heat studies. But, of course, as a child, I did not know this. Instead - and fortunatly - I naively knew it to be much bigger. A process that I did not know the name of, governed all natural activity around me. When considered as a whole, in all facits of life, in every experience, ultimately the world "runs down" in an irreversible process. I remember intently starring at the moving second hand of the classroom clock as it relentlessly, and for sure, passed each number. Time and the running of things always continued forward, never backwards, unstoppable as water running through fingers. Entropy was all around, even out of the classroom: Depressingly, tadpoles died, rotted, and turned to dirt that was indistinguishable from where their bodies had once lain. My bouncing ball would eventually stop and be totally still. I could not get rain drops to fall the other way, and shooting stars would fall and decay at night. Darn it; my pop sickles would melt too!

"Some things have to be believed to be seen."
Ralph Hodgson

But a more interesting example of entropy is the creation of life on this planet. If I may start out to be so bold: Entropy, given the right constraints and adequate conditions, will ALWAYS create life on any planet. And I will later show that God's presents is here too, in the form of a natural enterprise.

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Later, when I was grown, I lived in Cohasset. I had a stream in a canyon, and the stream always flowed down hill. But, I needed water uphill. Due to the laws of entropy, you might think that it is impossible to get water to flow up hill. But I did it. And even before electricity, old-timers got the water to flow up hill. They employed a "ram pump". The pump used kinetic energy of a large volume of water, to transpose energy to a small volume of water. The process is negative entropy.

AT the top of the water fall diagram is a representation of the sun's energy to the earth. The top potential is the energy of the sun. And before the water falls, it is poised to do work. Entropy will dictate how the energy is used.
The bottom potential (pool) is the thermal heat and weather of the earth.
In the middle is "life". That pump has an analogy to a living organism: it produces MORE order. Life represents order and negative entropy. Life represents intelligence in both its physical DNA, and in Free Logic. Life also represents reproduction and sustainability of negative entropy. Both forms of "intelligence" exploit a greater positive entropy. Or, in other words, order creates, or exploits, a greater disorder.
An intelligent - or ordered process - may be more efficient at dissipating potentials than a disordered one.

Entropy, in a religious sense, can be equated to decay and destruction. It is not just air molecules and natural things that are subject to entropy; People are too:

Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is broad and the road is wide (the natural way) that leads to destruction, and many enter that way. But the road that leads to life is both narrow and close, and there are few who find it. Mathew7:13

Entropy encompasses every aspect of science as well as natural life. Entropy is the "broad way", the natural way, and eventual in the course of all things. And it gets worse...
In science, entropy is absolutely for sure, an unbreakable guarantee, the ultimate in a relentless quicksand, and the law is explicitly stated as a premise: "The entropy law can never be broken."

"Dreams come true. Without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them."
John Updike

But I have jumped way ahead of myself. Let me explain...

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In the beginning, the earth was a white planet of steam. (I am starting about 4.5 billion years ago.) There was no land, and water was constantly transitional between gas and liquid. so that atmosphere was water-steam with nitrogen, methane, and hydrogen, and much rock particulates.

"In the beginning there was darkness above the waters. God said let there be light.
And it was so.

God said let there be a vault between the waters below and the waters above.
And it was so."

"God said let the water be gathered together in one place. And let dry land appear.
God called the dry land Earth, and God called the gathered water the Sea.
And it was so."

Genesis

The rain was extremely heavy and violent, and behaved more like a wild waterfall in the middle of a steam room. No light reached down to the, then, dark seething "water-gradeant" ocean.

But then there was a differance between liquid water below, and the the water condensation above, and clear sky between.

Montana Storm
Vault between waters above and waters below.

These verses make no sence untill we understand that at one time in history there was no "vault" between the waters. At that time, the intire atmosphere was water-steam. There was no separation between liquid water on the ground, and hot water above. Today, we take for granted a clear sky with water clouds above and water below. Today, we take for granted a clearly defined ocean with an beautiful blue atmosphere above.
(Just a coincidence, that an ancient text could possibly be correct about the "light" and the "vault".)

As the earth cooled, the white opaque atmosphere showed more red and yellow color, with NH4, N2, CO2, SO2, and no oxygen. At first, iron was not being oxidised (rusted).

Rust

Much effort and energy went into making this ship anchor. At one time it was bright and shiny with a magnificent form: a beautiful piece representing negative entropy. Men with brawn and intelligence - using negative entropy - transformed iron ore into another form, and another chemical composition. Entropy, and the ravages of time, are reclaiming this iron.

Much water was "cooked" into the rocks. And the rest of the liquid water found permanent locations. Sea levels dropped and volcanic land, now mostly silicates, also permanently appeared. The land that was exposed was also very high in spots and concentrated: towering perhaps 10 miles high. Entropy uses weathering (both mechanical and with carbonic acid) to lower the land and spread the land. Spreading land approaches equilibrium (increasing entropy) with disorder.

At this point the earth was destined to remain a yellow planet; and subject to existing entropy trends. If no other entropy paths were found, the earth would remain in this state forever. Of course, the earth would cool, how be it, violently and and very oscillatory. Also a magnetosphere would develop. But the general look of the earth would be frozen in this basic state - 2.5 billion years ago. Thanks to sun energy and entropy, this is not the end of the story for earth!

Let me return to the bacteria...
Actually, let me give some examples of entropy first. These are my own examples, and no one elses. (It will clarify things when I get back to simple rock RNA bacteria, 5 billion years ago.)

Consider Predators...
One animal gains a little by eating another animal. Predation is one of the driving forces of Evolution. The "gain" is in energy and substance, at the much greater loss of energy and substance of the victim. The predator gains negative entropy at the expense of a much greater positive entropy. The positive entropy is from all the energy used by the predator to secure the meat; as in running and chasing, chewing, and body maintenance; Plus - and here is more - the victims greater entropy characterized by excrement of the body and rotting of the body. Both these positive entropies (disorder) are huge compared to the small negative entropy (order).

I find predation disgusting. Predation was the dominant form of negative entropy before the earth was destroyed some 65 million years ago by an astroid, resulting in huge tsunamis, and darkness. Extinctions were almost complete. Regardless of my feelings, predation is a valid energy channel.

Consider superconductors...
Wire can only pass so much current due to resistance. In fact, as heat increases, chaotic molecular motion only increases; and even less current flows. (Copper has a positive temperature coefficient.) But if more order is given a conductor, such as in supercooling a special material, a strange thing happens. We are actually taking away entropy, and we are cooling. On an atomic scale, there is more order, and there are less collisions and chaos. We are applying order and intelligence. But the end result are magnitudes of increased current. Energy has found a path resulting in massive increase in entropy in less time. The logic is in a balance sheet: The energy needed to manufacture the liquid nitrogen and metals, verses the increase in energy transport.

Entropy - and not the efforts of "us" - will find a way to pave our country in miles of superconductors for the power grid. Increasingly, more of the suns energy (and geothermal and nuclear energy) will prefer these routes as positive entropy conduits. If the human race survives, this WILL happen. Entropy causes it, and we are mere pawns and have little to do with it. It WILL happen. And it will be called "Man's progress".

Classroom Art

Consider people...
You must eat food to go to work and make a living. But the worker, expending energy, will enable a whole family to eat even more food. This is how people grow and expand in population. People growth is growth against chaos.
The little bit of order is taken, or yielded, from a much larger disorder elsewhere. People become energy extractors; and on a personal level.

Classroom Art

Consider Money...
"It takes money to make money."
Making money is a positive thing; the opposite of decay and entropy. Never the less, it grows out of chaos. It grows - not because of a "physical" DNA-intellegence, which I have been citing - but because of new "adaptive" intelligence. (Both forms are excellent sources of negative entropy.) All money is made at the expense of other materials and energy; such as burning gasoline, for example. Money can be a representation of (potential) negative entropy. I don't know of anyone else that has coined the term "potential" entropy before. And I believe it to be a very valid concept.

Nasa picture

Consider "Coherent Energy Forms"...
A dust devel, traveling out across a lonely stretch of dry field, is a coherent energy form. The dust devel was born out of chaos, a whirl wind seemingly born from nothing, in an empty field; And with a distinct identity of its own. (The Hawaiians believed their ancestors could manifest themselves in whirlwinds.) Included here, are also whirlpools, tornados, and hurricanes; all have various specific trigger mechanisms, beyond the reach of exact calculation.

Waves on the ocean are coherent energy forms. Waves are negative entropy, and live with their own beautiful laws of motion.

Solar flares are the result of negative entropy, born on the suns surface from extreme heat, violence, and chaos.

Lightning and thunder are coherent energy forms; Both dramatic, and short lived. They literally pop into existence, and just as quickly vanish from whence they came.

(I was the first, and evidently the only, person to coin the term "Coherent Energy Form". And it has nothing to do with lasers.)

Sterling Engine
Actually, the very best example that I can think of, is the sterling engine. Negative entropy capitalizes on the transfer of energy. The sterling engine operates by capitalising on the the transfer of heat: from hot to cold. This makes a moving machine that has an identity. This machine has the simplest of identities, and does not morph. I like this example: It is usually colored silver, has a certain weight and size, and can be in a closed system. The sterling engine provides a path of entropy, and that path will ALWAYS be an increase in entropy. But that engine "harvests" part of that cycle as negative entropy. The path was devised and segregated from a larger path. In a like fashion, life "capitalizes" on entropy. And, as such, primitive bacteria is - at least in part - an engine.

Any engine uses entropy, although never as elegantly, and thermodynamically pure, as the sterling.

Gasoline Engine

This is a good time to introduce "feedback". (It is part of my hypothetical mathematics, composed of entropy, probability, and fractals. But do not worry about the math for now.)

Gas is combusted in the cylinders, but continually more gas is sucked in as a result of that same process. There is repetition. The feed back is from the timing belt and cams; as well as the vacuum created by the pistons in a second stroke (assuming a four stroke engine). The engine uses a PORTION of energy for feedback.

Mechanical FeedBack

The feedback, although required in all machines, does not constitute very much negative entropy. In the case of the gasoline engine; about 1%. The real negative entropy of the gas engine comes from the expanding combusted gas, driving down the piston to form linear motion; about 30% efficiency. When the engine has a full gas tank, the motion is self sustaining.

The suns energy, in the form of gasoline, is channeled through the engine. You can see this if you use an infrared camera on a roadway. The camera paints an interesting picture. You will see the cars lit far whiter, especially in the areas of the hood, than solar background energy from the ambient air and road. You are looking at channeled positive entropy. You can also see the negative entropy by observing the motion of the car.

OK, I guess that is enough examples.
Getting back to the story...

"Life feeds on negative entropy."
Erwin Schr�dinger

Likewise, at the bottom of the ocean, entropy has found that a smaller "order" in bacteria produces a greater entropy. I don't know the biological details, but the ingredience are in place.

The copying fidelity of the bacteria is astonishing, despite degradation and rewriting of their RNA and DNA words by cosmic rays, free radicals, and thermal damage; which are unfortunate consequences to any biological code on this planet. While bacteria organisms are busy reproducing, they inadvertantly perpetuate themselves with slight changes. 99.9% of all these changes are detrimental. In most cases - fatal! If not fatal to the individual, at least fatal for reproduction. But those few changes that are advantageous, by evolving complex refinements, will increase their organization (negative entropy). All this occurs in a world full of chaos and entropy. The negative entropy grows by selective processes of the environment. Simple mechanics.

The price - once paid - by DNA has lingering benefits into perpetuity. This is because the benefits are stable enough to be additive. The benefits can be stacked, generation after generation.

The dark ocean floor is covered with slimy anaerobic bacteria, perfect little machines. There is no predation; and they eat rock and methane, and use thermal energy, and reproduce, and they grow. But remain profoundly mechanical molecules, without bodies, nor shells. RNA tinkertoys with a propensity to form linear links. These bacteria have now become "energy directors". Bacteria have become shepherds of energy, and it is for their self preservation and reproduction. It is a self perpetuating cycle. Biology has come into existence from pure thermodynamics and entropy. "Order" makes a special path for energy; and that energy (geothermal), will surely take it. Energy is opportunistic, and "chooses" to take a path. And the door is wide open, the rocks and water are hot. Because the process "grows" - entropy increases, both positive and negative.

On the surface of the water, methane is precipitating out of the atmosphere as fertilizer compounds. Light struggles from the sun and is showing, more and more, through a grey haze as seen from the ocean surface. And anaerobic bacteria are making their way to the surface and thriving. Ingredients are building for an even greater entropy pathway: the sun's energy.

Energy ALWAYS flows downhill, and now a new door is opening for the greatest downhill show on earth. There will be huge consequences for the planet. For the first time - there will be Life!

The anaerobic microbes are mechanical things; ran by thermal agitation of carbon and sulfur. They reproduce by newly developing DNA. The most important thing about them is that they are ran by a positive order with intelligent feedback: which is a physical "intelligence-of-DNA". They are no more than "computer programs"; floating in the water.

Sun light has the ability to make great building blocks of carbon. Structure can be formed from two structureless components: a gas CO2 and water H2O. Structure is discrete building blocks, although profoundly simple and purely physical. "Structure" is necessary for positive order. "Structure" is the opposite of entropy; and is yet another type of order, which is Geometrical. Energy is always creating eddies of order by chance; analogous to eddies in a mountain stream. The stream forms little areas of wirl pools that are exhibiting energy coherency. It is a natural process. Go look for yourself! You will find SOME order in a any largely chaotic stream.
It is the same with building blocks.

So now, we have building blocks in the presence of DNA. By chance - DNA will find a way to use geometric structures and inhance itself. The DNA machine has something to work with. DNA is more fragile than RNA and requires a protective form. Energy can not help but go "down" this path! In my opinion, we now have life.
"Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." (Reproduction after one's kind.) Genesis

The intire planet reals from the dramatic encrease of positive entropy; and consequently changes color. The same process, for the creation of structure, is also releasing 02 into the atmosphere. The intire planet changes to a striking blue color. A massive feedback loop develops. The skies clear: Enabling even more photosynthesis. Likewise, DNA - NATURALLY - fine tunes itself to receive .4nM to .7nM light wave lengths. The suns energy is not being reflected back into space as much, it is not heating the ground as much. The suns energy is being used elsewhere. Photosynthesis and Positive order builds even more, and negative entropy "gains" even more.

As a consequence, if the ingredients are present on any planet - life can not HELP - but develop due to mathematics alone. We, as individuals, only see the microscopic aspects of life and "identity". We only see the nuts and bolts. We only see pieces of leaves and bark of a big dynamic forest. Biological life is really macroscopic, and natural and profoundly, a coherent "process" that involves the intire planet as an "entity".

"Life is when a natural enterprise produces an enterprising individual."
Me

This case is clearly stated in a wierd chronology:
"God created every living..."
"Be fruitful and multiply. ..."Gen 1:20
On the sixth day...
"Let us make man in our image..."Gen 1:27
"Thus was the universe and its array were all finished."Gen 2:1
"On the seventh day God ceased his work."Gen 2:2

"At the time when God the Eternal made earth and heaven, there was as yet no shrub, no plant..."Gen 2:4
...no rain...
"Then God the Eternal moulded man from the dust of the ground..."Gen 2:7

" Human beings, vegetables, or comic dust,
we all dance to a mysterious tune,
intoned in the distance by an invisible player."
-Albert Einstein

The TIME LINE is important here!
Wait a minute, you may ask, Gen 2:2 says it is a "done-deal". It is over. It is done!
But Gen 2:4 starts up the creation again, because there is no shrub, no plant..., no anything?
Gen 2:4 does this AFTER it was finished?
Gen 2:4 starts up the (real) creation again, and things begin to develop. Stupid me; I forgot to add ingredients, like water.
...The time line is important.

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In the first set of verses life was created - but as only planned. No life was actually "materialised" yet.
Gen 2:4 is NO misprint!
All that was created were the technical, scientific, BLUEPRINTS of life. Conception is the hard part; Creation easily follows to give birth.

"The order of the world is always right - such is the judgment of God.
For God has departed,
but he has left his judgment behind,
the way the Cheshire Cat left his grin."
Jean Baudrillard

Planning, if done on a wondrous scale, can create machinery that continues to operate in your total absence. "Planning" is the epidemy of the three disciplines that I previously mentioned above: probability, fractals, and entropy. The math is set! But life is still - clearly - evolving today.

We are like God: Before we, as humans, build a skyscraper, we have plans.
Before the first brick is layed, we have plans.
Do not think that the chronology of Genesis is a glairing misprint;
It applies to quantum physics and DNA.
Plans do not have to be diagrams on blue paper.
Plans may be DNA.
Plans are special Words that transcend the past, present, and future.
In computer code writing Plans are a Class. And the Word makes time itself.

Before a basket can be woven, there are plans in a weavers mind.

Coming from an engineer, I can tell you for sure...
Before I invented my control system, and before it was controlling machinery;
and before it was buzzing with assorted noises, and blinking lights; and
before it's presents was known by its voice and spoken words;
and before it was real - it was "built" in my head. I can assure you of that.

Indeed, as another example...
In the most advanced computer languages, there is an act called "instantiation".
Instantiation is to "create" an instance from a Class.
A Class is like a blueprint. Instantiation is to create an "Object" from that Class. "Object" is an essential concept in computer writing,
and it has a direct analogy to "things" in our everyday physical world. Therefore, in the beggining God only Declared the Classes, and did not specify or build any Specific physical object from a Class. "Building" is still going on today, but the WORK is finished, as He has stated. This time period is one of Coasting and resting, and Entropy. To understand the language of Computer Code is to understand the language of Creation.

A Man may make a Remark -
In itself - a quiet thing
That may furnish the Fuse unto a Spark
In dormant nature - lain -
Let us divide - with skill -
Let us discourse - with care -
Powder exists in Charcoal -
Before it exists in Fire -

by Emily Dickinson

A "Constructor" in computer language is exactly DNA in biology. I love computer code writing; You have a mastery of imaginary things not yet realized.

Indeed, as humble as we are in so many other ways, we really are like God:
If we manage to do anything at all, we - undeniably - do it God's way.
For example,
First step: set the Word, plans, and equations.
Second step: Faith
Third step: Bring in the physical reality, Instantiation.

And we are just not conscious of it, and niether can be. Instantiation is the process of being materialized out of a larger class. Specific Identities can not be conscious of the world of their birth. However, and here is an important concept that no one has discovered, there are multiple mirror images of of an identity. Due to Entanglement there will be mirror images at different levels of creation. In other words, you exist in your physical structure, in the cells that make up the structure, the moliquels that surround the structure, and the very atoms of the cells. Just as a water droplet, or ice crystal can be formed from a seed, likewise a human identity can be formed from the tiniest pertibation of a Class-Equation (my term).

God has Latent Ideas (in human terms)
that are only "potential" reality (for us)
and are not yet expressed from out of an unrealized virtual Class.

... Just as my Father had told me.

Dad 1981.06 Respected no man. Only cared what God thought.

My father had read to me, as well as the rest of my eight brothers and sisters, this mysterious chronology when I was very young...

Dad was born an orphan. He had nine children, he never went to high school, he had no diplomas, and we were poor. And to this day, I have heard of no minister, no lecturer, no literary, no statesman, making the connection - as my father had done.

A man of absolutely no education, and yet he loved to read the bible. It was worse than that - he read it out loud! Sometimes, ...an embarrassment. My father was accustomed to sitting in a chair, and gathering all of us kids around him. Even before any of us kids could read for ourselves, Dad would always read to us. We never knew a time when there was not words and reading from Dad. Of all books, he loved to read the bible to us. He absolutely reverenced this book.

Dirty faces from play would evolve into a ragged gathering on the floor with a lone ragged man in the center. My father could hardly be considered a king over this assemblage of noisy children. Despite the noise, he would gather us as his pride and joy. Then he would always make a short grunt, as to clear his throat. Every kid would turn stone quiet. You could feel the words before they came. All this, before he had spoken a single word. The house fell silent too. All the walls in silence seemed to humble themselves for his speech. For he was about to speak.

His strong voice filled the house, and dominated his humble setting. Nothing else existed, and time was frozen in the moment. My father commanded a deep, smooth, authoritarian voice. He spoke fluidly with conviction. Suddenly and clearly he was transformed into a amazing king - beyond measure! He owned the spoken language, and applied this gift to diligent iteration of the verses. He had great authority. He would pause; and he would parcel out morsels to us children, as if we were dining in the presents of a great chef. He would cherish every word as a connoisseur of fine wine. And apply liberal garnish - just for us children. We were totally spellbound. Dad provided an exquisite feist of words and understanding. His honesty was like steel: to-the-point, and blatant. At other times, he would treat even the inconsistencies in the Bible - with respect. His bold voice gave a mastery of delivery, and yet his voice gave a gentler perception for simple children. In that setting, for little children and tender ears, his voice seemed literally like the voice of God. For an hour or two each week our house was bathed in beautiful words and wondrous meanings; A bounty - just for us kids - and personally hosted by a great king!

Back then, he was also "Dad" to us kids, and unfortunately at the time, his articulated gifts were not truly recognised, nor fully appreciated. But that was to change as I grew older.

In a vague way, Dad equated "Laws" from the Word of God to nature, and I, with my education, equated the Word of God to mathematics and computer language. An ignorant, unheard man, ended the political debate that was later to erupt between the Evolutionists vs the Creationalists.
No matter what anyone says, no matter about Dad's rough appearance, it is an honor to follow him, and to polish what he started. I am proud to have finally written it down. It is so true, and he was such a noble man. There! I have clearly stated it.

In any case, we are ready for the next section that I would like to present:
Taxonomy (Man's science of naming).

God brought all living things to man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called any living creature, that was to be its name. So the man named all the animals and the birds and every wild beast...
Gen 2:19