ADVANCES IN LIVING SYSTEMS
SCIENCE
Washington
Academy of Sciences
James R. Simms
jrsimms@ juno.com
MAJOR ADVANCES
• Universal phenomena of life identified
• Relations among universal phenomenon
discovered
• Measurements identified
• Units of measure for universal phenomenon
developed
• Criteria met for a natural science of life
equivalent to the extant natural sciences
UNIVERSAL PHENOMENA OF LIFE
•
•
•
•
•
•
Living structure (cells, organs, organisms)
Free energy
Genetic and biochemical information
Genetic and biochemical knowledge
Genetic behavior (synthesis of protein)
Biochemical behaviors (biochemical reactions)
UNIVERSAL PHENOMENA OF ANIMALS
• In addition to the universal phenomena of life,
animals have contractile structures
• These structure provide a capability for
contraction behaviors
RELATIONS AMONG THE FUNDAMENTAL
DETERMINANTS OF LIFE
Available
energy
(ea)
Phenomena
Knowledge
Information
(p)
(n)
(i)
Capacity to
direct
energy (k)
Behavior
(b)
STRUCTURES ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE
Energy
Phenomena:
Matter and
Energy
Sensors of
Phenomena
(sp)
Information
Generator
i
(si)
Matter
Effectors
Behavior
(k)
(b)
LIVING SYSTEMS
• James Grier Miller took the first step in the
development of a living systems science (Living
Systems, 1978)
• Identified the subjects of the science
• Described the characteristics of the subjects
• Classified the subjects: cell, organ, organism,
group, organization, society and supranational
levels
• Miller also identified the relations among the
subjects and characteristics
LIVING SYSTEMS SCIENCE (CONT.)
• James G. and Jessie Miller wrote the Foreword to
Principles of Quantitative Living Systems Science (1999)
• “In 1978 when the book Living Systems was published,
it contained the prediction that the sciences that were
concerned with biological and social sciences would, in
the future, be stated as rigorously as the “hard
sciences” that study such nonliving phenomenon as
temperature, distance, and the interaction of chemical
elements. Principles of Quantitative Living Systems
Science, the first of a planned series of three books,
begins an attempt to fulfill that prediction.”
LIVING SYSTEMS SCIENCE
Miller’s Foreword (cont.)
• “It is our opinion that this book represents an
important step in the development of a
quantitative living systems science.”
• “As Simms shows, the concepts of available
energy and the capacity to direct energy, as
well as the causative relationship between
information and behavior, are useful in the
analysis of behavior.”
LIVING SYSTEMS SCIENCE
Miller’s Foreword (cont.)
• “The systems with which this first book of the
series is concerned are mainly at the level of
the cell and the animal organ and organism.”
• “It will be interesting to see how the science is
applied in later volumes to the complex
behaviors of human being, and higher level
systems.”
INFORMATION
• The universal phenomena of genetic,
biochemical and neural information are
treated in Principles of Quantitative Living
Systems Science (Simms 1999)
• However, these phenomena were not treated
with the scientific rigor necessary for
establishing precise units of measure for these
phenomena that is equivalent to those of the
natural sciences
INFORMATION (cont.)
• The hypothesis of my research paper “Making
the Soft Sciences Hard: The Newton Model”
(2011) is that the methodologies used to
develop the extant natural sciences can be
used as a model for developing natural (hard)
life and social sciences
EMERGENCE OF NATURAL SCIENCES
GENETIC INFORMATION
• Development of an objective measure of
genetic information is based on the
fundamental phenomenon that living systems
synthesize protein
• This phenomenon is the essence of
reproductive behaviors
• The synthesis of protein is an observable
behavior
GENETIC INFORMATION(cont.)
• Genetic information causes the synthesis of
specific protein
• One unit of genetic information causes a
reference structure to use one unit of energy
in the synthesis of one unit of protein
• The information unit is named the genin
(contraction of genetic and information)
BIOCHEMICAL INFORMATION
• Development of an objective measure of biochemical
information is based on the fundamental phenomenon
that living systems exhibit biochemical behaviors
• This phenomenon is the essence of life
• Biochemical reaction behaviors occur in all living cells
• Biochemical information is typically in the form of
enzymes
• One unit of biochemical information causes a reference
structure to use one unit of energy in a biochemical
reaction
• The biochemical information unit is named the biocin
NEURAL INFORMATION
• Development of an objective measure of
neural information is based on the
fundamental phenomenon that a large class
of living systems exhibit contractile behaviors
• Contractile behaviors are the essence of
animals
• Neural information is typically in the form of
action potentials
NEURAL INFORMATION (cont.)
• One unit of neural information causes a
reference motor unit to convert one unit of
free energy to one unit of mechanical energy
(muscle contraction behavior)
• The information unit is named the neurin
(contraction of neuron and information)
INFORMATION PERISHABILITY
• Genetic information perishes after it causes
protein synthesis
• Biochemical information perishes after it
causes a biochemical reaction
• Neural information perishes after it causes a
contraction behavior
• Information perishability is a universal
phenomenon at the cell, organ and
organization levels
INFORMATION GENERATION
• Information generation is a universal
phenomenon at the cell, organ and organism
levels
• Cells, organs and organisms have structures
that provide a capability to sense phenomena
and generate appropriate information
KNOWLEDGE
• The ability to generate appropriate information is
treated in my research paper “Knowledge: A
Measurable Universal Phenomenon of Life”
• Knowledge is:
1. The ability to sense phenomena and generate
information
2. A universal phenomenon of life
3. Not directly observable
4. Observable and measurable through its relation with
information, energy and behavior
• Knowledge can be measured
PRINCIPLES OF LIVING SYSTEMS
SCIENCE FOR GROUPS AND SOCIETY
CLASSIFICATION OF SYSTEMS
• Miller’s living systems classification levels are
adequate for cells, organs and organisms
• Classification of higher levels require a
different approach for the development of
principles of quantitative living systems
science for groups and society
• Classification based on number of species and
complexity of behaviors works better
SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
• Sexual reproduction is the first group behavior
and is the largest group
• A relatively few of the 10 to 50 million species
exhibit group behaviors
• The universal group phenomenon of sexual
reproduction is the fusion of female and male
gamete chromosomes to synthesize the genetic
material of the zygote (offspring)
• The synthesis of female and male gametes and
the joining of these gametes are prerequisites to
chromosome fusion behaviors
FERTIZATION: UNIVERSAL
PHENOMENON OF LIVING SYSTEMS
GROUPS
SYNTHESIS OF
FEMALE GAMETES
COLLOCATION OF
MALE AND FEMALE
GAMETES
SYNTHESIS OF
MALE GAMETES
FUSION OF
CHROMOSOMES
SYNTHESIS
OF ZYGOTE
RELATIONS AMONG THE
FUNDAMENTAL DETERMINANTS OF
GROUPS
Available
energy (ea)
Phenomena
Knowledge
Information
(p)
(n)
(i)
Capacity to
direct
energy (k)
Behavior
(b)
STRUCTURES ESSENTIAL FOR GROUPS
Energy
Phenomena:
Matter and
Energy
Sensors of
Phenomena
(sp)
Information
Generator
i
(si)
Matter
Effectors
Behavior
(k)
(b)
RELATIONS AMONG THE
FUNDAMENTAL PHENOMENA OF
FERTILIZATION
• Phenomena (p): collocation of female and male
gametes
• Knowledge (n) : sensing of female and male
gametes collocation and generation of genetic (ig)
and biochemical (ib) information
• Capacity of cell structure to direct energy (k)
• Available energy (ea) conversion of adenosine
triphosphate (ATP) to adenosine diphosphate
(ADP)
• Behavior (b): synthesis of zygote
RELATIONS AMONG THE
FUNDAMENTAL PHENOMENA OF
FERTILIZATION (cont.)
b = f(p,n,i,k,ea)
UNITS OF MEASURE FOR GROUPS
• The function equation above can be changed
to a precise equation by selecting basic units
of measure for each parameter
• One unit of energy is the lae (life available
energy) which results when adenosine
triphosphate (ATP) is converted to adenosine
diphosphate (ADP): a universal phenomenon
of life
UNITS OF MEASURE FOR GROUPS (cont.)
• One unit of genetic information is a single codon
of messenger RNA (mRNA)
• One unit of biochemical information is a single
enzyme
• One unit of genetic knowledge is the ability to
read one codon of DNA (phenomena) and
generate a single codon of messenger RNA
• One unit of biochemical knowledge is the ability
to sense chemical phenomena and generate an
enzyme
UNITS OF MEASURE FOR GROUPS (cont.)
• Group sexual reproduction structures
(typically a female egg) have a capacity to
direct energy and synthesize a zygote
• The measure of capacity to direct energy is: a
structure has an ability to direct one unit of
energy in the synthesis of one unit of behavior
for each unit of information
FUNDAMENTAL EQUATION OF GROUP
BEHAVIOR
b = pnikea
behavior = phenomenon x knowledge x
information x capacity to direct energy x
available energy
COLLOCATION OF MALE AND FEMALE
GAMETES
• The sexual reproduction behavior prior to
fertilization is a male gamete interacting with
a female gamete
• Typically the male gamete moves to the
female gamete
• The following figure shows the human eggsperm collocation behaviors
EGG-SPERM COLLOCATION
COLLOCATION OF MALE AND FEMALE
GAMETES (cont.)
• Movement of male sperm to a female egg
from its synthesis site is typically caused by
pheromones
• Pheromones are biochemical information
(chemical substances which, when released
into an animal’s surroundings, influence the
behavior or development of other individuals
of the same species)
PARENT AND OFFSPRING
• The second group level is a parent and its
offspring
• The behavior is a parent caring for its offspring
• These behaviors range from a female
synthesizing nourishment in her egg to
mammals that provide for their young until
adulthood
MAMMALIAN NURSING
PARENTS AND OFFSPRING
• A fewer number of species exhibit the more
complex behaviors of both the male and
female providing for offspring
• Some bird and mammals species exhibit these
behaviors
NUCLEAR FAMILY
• The nuclear family consist of parents and
offspring from a number of reproduction
cycles
• The group behaviors of nuclear families are
more complex due to the increased number
of possible interactions
EXTENDED FAMILY
• Some species form groups that include related
members and other unrelated adopted
members
TRIBES
• Consist of individuals with many similar
characteristics, such as antelope, buffalo and
humans
HUMANS
• Humans that existed for the first 99.8 percent of
human existence exhibited behaviors similar to
other species
• Significant change occurred when the human
brain increased in size resulting in an
understanding of mortality and cause-and-effect
phenomena
• Humans that have existed for the last 0.2 percent
of human existence are also differentiated from
previous humans by their social and technical
innovations
EVOLUTION OF BRAIN SIZE IN
HUMANS
CONSEQUENCES OF LARGE BRAINS
• The conscious understanding of mortality i.e.
the knowledge that they are going to die
• The conscious understanding of cause and
effect i.e. the knowledge that there are causes
for observable behaviors and phenomena
BELIEF SYSTEMS
• The conscious understanding of mortality lead to
early belief systems
• These belief systems include methods for
achieving immortality such as burial of the dead
with things for the next life
• Religions were constructed to address
immortality
• Belief systems established in groups
CAUSE AND EFFECT
• Cause and effect phenomena were initially
considered to be theological (Comte’s first stage)
and explained by various Gods.
• Some societies still hold these beliefs.
• These phenomena were later treated as
metaphysical (Comte’s metaphysical stage)
• Advances have been made in making the group
and social sciences a positive science
• Without identification and measure of universal
phenomena, there cannot be a “natural science”
of groups and societies
NATURAL SCIENCE OF GROUPS AND
SOCIETIES
• Identification and measurement of the
universal phenomena of knowledge and
information provides the basis for
development of a natural science of groups
and societies
NATURAL SCIENCE OF GROUPS AND
SOCIETIES—RECENT HUMANS
• Recent humans emerged about 13,000 years ago
(Diamond, 1990)
• They are identified by their social and technical
innovations
• They were based on kinship, belief, resources and
environmental phenomena
• They were based on very limited knowledge,
group structures and available energy
• The behaviors of recent humans can be analyzed,
described and explained in terms of these
phenomena
CURRENT SOCIETIES
• Existing societies cover the range from tribal up
to and including Miller’s group, organization,
society and supranational levels
• The principles of quantitative living systems
science of groups and societies apply to the
complex behaviors of human beings, groups and
higher-level systems
• These principles provide the basis for the
development of living social systems science
equivalent to the extant natural sciences
MEASUREMENT UNIT SCALING
• Units of measure for both nonliving and living
things are small and are scaled up for better
use
• The centimeter, gram, second (cgs) units are
small and are scaled up for usage even for
planetary systems
• The knowledge, information and energy units
for living systems can be scaled up to humans
and their groups
HUMANS
• The principles for living systems can be used
for the behaviors of humans
• However, great effort is required to develop
applications to humans
• The principles for living things are stated so
they can be tested and verified just like those
of the current natural sciences