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The mystery of systems far from equilibrium: How do living systems remain stable under extreme conditions?
In nature, complex living systems are amazingly stable, even under extreme conditions. This phenomenon has sparked the interest of many scientists who are trying to uncover how organisms maintain internal balance in an unstable environment. Through the perspective of systems thinking, we can explore the interactions of living systems and their self-regulation processes.
Systems thinking offers a new way of looking at the complex world, focusing on the whole and the relationships between its components, rather than breaking it down into its individual parts. This thinking framework not only helps to understand ecology and environmental science, but also has wide application in fields such as engineering, economics and social sciences.
The resilience of living systems, which enables them to survive in changing environments, is a hot topic of research.
Characteristics of living systems
Properties of biological systems include self-organization, adaptability, and the ability to generate internal structure. These properties enable living systems to remain stable even in extreme environments. The essence of such systems lies in the interactions between their components rather than the properties of the components themselves.
As Aristotle recognized, biological systems are self-regulating, whether at the microscopic cellular level or the macroscopic ecosystem level.
Stability far from equilibrium
The traditional thermodynamic view holds that a system tends toward thermal equilibrium. However, Ilya Prigogine proposed in 1980 that systems far from equilibrium can also exhibit stability. These systems are characterized by their ability to self-adjust and create new structures and patterns as they adapt to their environment.
Under appropriately controlled conditions, living systems are able to remain stable in a changing environment, a remarkable process of adaptation.
Practical Applications
Systems thinking methods are not limited to academic research; they have a wide range of applications, including organizational management, environmental protection policy analysis, and health system design. Jay Forrester of MIT mentioned that “the average manager can accurately guess the key points in the system that are often the key to change.” This shows that small changes can lead to major changes in the behavior of the system.
Self-organization and resilience
The responses of biological systems to external shocks demonstrate that they are not static but are capable of self-organization and reorganization. This resilience means they are able to evolve, adapt and maintain their internal structure even when challenged by extreme environmental conditions.
ConclusionSelf-organization is a core concept in resilient systems, which allows living systems to thrive under extreme conditions.
The stability of biological systems under extreme conditions can help us rethink our understanding of how systems function and adapt. This is not only about scientific research, but also about how we respond to future challenges: How can living systems adapt and survive extreme changes?
