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Author Topic:   Evolving the Musculoskeletal System
NoNukes
Inactive Member


Message 331 of 527 (586145)
10-11-2010 1:49 PM
Reply to: Message 328 by Strongbow
10-11-2010 12:57 PM


Re: Entropy
Strongbow writes:
Entropy increases with diversity and complexity.
A completely uniform system has low entropy. A very complex and diverse system has higher entropy.
Really? Would you say that a system of objects at complete thermal equiibrium (no thermal diversity) has low entropy, while a system of objects at diverse temperatures but containing the same total amount of thermal energy has comparatively higher entropy?
I would suggest the exact opposite.
Entropy does not equal diversity or complexity

This message is a reply to:
 Message 328 by Strongbow, posted 10-11-2010 12:57 PM Strongbow has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 334 by barbara, posted 10-11-2010 2:05 PM NoNukes has replied
 Message 345 by Strongbow, posted 10-12-2010 1:14 PM NoNukes has replied

  
NoNukes
Inactive Member


Message 337 of 527 (586166)
10-11-2010 6:02 PM
Reply to: Message 334 by barbara
10-11-2010 2:05 PM


Re: Entropy
barbara writes:
is it true that entropy degrades DNA over time?
I think you really mean to ask a different question, namely, does the second law of thermodynamics require that DNA degrade over time given the processes that DNA undergoes including, replication, mutation, etc.? I'm also sure that you are not talking about the DNA in a single individual, but whether DNA in progressive descendants of an individual must degrade over the sequence of generations.
First, let me point out that my last formal life science class was 9th grade biology, and that you'll probably want a better answer than mine.
I will suggest that as long as the organisms are not a closed system, it is not even inevitable that entropy for the DNA will even increase. So I suspect the answer is no, there is no requirement for DNA to degrade over time. I'm not aware of anything showing that DNA in humans has degraded compared to previous generations.
Edited by NoNukes, : minor reformat

This message is a reply to:
 Message 334 by barbara, posted 10-11-2010 2:05 PM barbara has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 338 by barbara, posted 10-11-2010 6:23 PM NoNukes has replied

  
NoNukes
Inactive Member


Message 341 of 527 (586178)
10-11-2010 6:59 PM
Reply to: Message 338 by barbara
10-11-2010 6:23 PM


Re: Entropy
Barbara writes:
The environment does not decay DNA to a less organized level as a function of time. Correct?
The 2nd Law of thermodynamics does not require any such thing.
What suggests to you that DNA is deteriorating?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 338 by barbara, posted 10-11-2010 6:23 PM barbara has not replied

  
NoNukes
Inactive Member


Message 356 of 527 (586507)
10-13-2010 4:10 PM
Reply to: Message 345 by Strongbow
10-12-2010 1:14 PM


Re: Entropy
Strongbow writes:
a: 000
b: 0000000
Item b in the above example has more entropy.
I disagree. For example if these are bit streams in which the next bit is always zero, the streams have the same entropy.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 345 by Strongbow, posted 10-12-2010 1:14 PM Strongbow has not replied

  
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