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This article was originally published as a chapter in the book “Design and Catastrophe: 51 Scientists Explore Evidence in Nature"
In the Bible we find a Creator God of law and order. He is also a God of beauty and wonder. Within the realm of Creation we find evidence of these attributes as well, a signature of His handiwork. Thermodynamics is one of many lenses through which we may observe the handiwork of God. Of thermodynamics, Albert Einstein said that it “is the only physical theory of universal content which, within the framework of the applicability of its basic concepts, I am convinced will never be overthrown.”[1]
Within thermodynamics, there are three types of boundaries between a system and its surroundings: isolating, closed, and open. An isolating boundary permits no exchange of energy or matter and defines the first law of thermodynamics—that total energy within an isolated system is constant. A closed boundary permits exchange of energy with surroundings, but not matter, and an open boundary permits the exchange of both energy and matter with surroundings. If we choose a flower as a living system that exhibits beauty, we can establish rather easily that it represents an open boundary system. Its existence and function require both energy from the sun and matter in the form of water, carbon dioxide, and nutrients from the soil.
In addition to the first law, there is a second law in thermodynamics that is also crucial for the existence of our beautiful flower. This law is a statement about entropy, which has to do with the arrangement of matter and the dispersal of energy. A system with high entropy would be one in which energy is widely dispersed into various energy levels and locations, and one in which the arrangement of the material components of the system is highly non-specified. The highest entropy state available to a system exists in the equilibrium state. An equilibrium state is one in which, over time, there is no measurable change in energy at the macroscopic level (a good practical example would be a dead battery).
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the second law is its ability to predict the course of events—that there is a tendency in nature to drive all processes toward an equilibrium state. In other words, all spontaneous processes are eventually moving toward a state of equilibrium. However, due caution is required at this point. It is possible for the entropy of a subsystem within a larger isolated system to spontaneously decrease if there is an increase in entropy for the surroundings associated with the subsystem that at least counters the decrease in entropy gained by the subsystem.
Now that we have established the two basic laws of thermodynamics, let’s look at how our beautiful flower is subject to them in its growth. The most freely available source of energy for our flower is heat from sunlight.[2] Per thermodynamics, heat is the flow of thermal energy that arises as the result of a temperature difference between two adjacent regions of space. There is great utility in being able to convert such an available source of energy into useful work.
Thermodynamics employs a model called a heat engine as a means of describing the process of conversion of heat into useful work. In this model, the engine is placed between two regions of differing temperatures so that energy can flow spontaneously (second law) from the region of high to low temperature, much as a grist mill is placed in a stream so that water may flow through and drive the grinding stones.
It is important to note that the production of useful work requires an engine consisting of very specified components performing very specified tasks, such as, in the case of the grist mill, the turning of a very specified set of wheels and gears so that proper grinding is accomplished. By the second law of thermodynamics, this would be a locally spontaneous decrease in entropy and a movement away from mechanical equilibrium. The “heat sink” in the case of the grist mill would be a low elevation area downstream of the mill, driving the continued flow of water.
In the case of a flower, the sun provides the input energy for the plant, and the useful work would be the manipulation of input molecules (water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and a few other nutrients) into highly specified arrangements that give rise to various processes of growth and reproduction. The work accomplished defines life for the plant—a state very low in entropy and thus far from equilibrium. The heat sink in the plant would be the chemical bonds in the molecules formed, often released as “carbs” in mammalian diet. The heart of the grist mill is the machinery that couples the flow of water to the mechanism responsible for accomplishing the very specific task of grinding grain. The heart of the flower is the DNA, which provides the information to construct the molecular machinery that directs how the input energy from the sun is to be coupled to the specific tasks of molecular arrangements. The net effect of these life-sustaining molecular arrangements does not exclude the existence of beauty in the form of the stem, leaves, and bloom of the flower.
It is well-recognized that there is something extraordinary about the properties of living systems, as expressed in a popular universitylevel text on biochemistry: “The collections of inanimate molecules that constitute living organisms interact to maintain and perpetuate life animated solely by the physical and chemical laws that govern the nonliving universe. Yet [these] organisms possess extraordinary attributes, properties that distinguish them from other collections of matter.”[3] To me, the coupling of fundamental laws and sophisticated biomolecular machinery expressed in a beautiful flower speaks of the infinite wisdom of the Creator—that the laws found in creation not only permit but, in fact, ensure beauty.
NOTES
[1] Albert Einstein, quoted in MJ Klein, Thermodynamics in Einstein’s universe, Science 1967; 157:509.
[2] KE Dorfman, DV Voronine, S Mukamel, MO Scully. Photosynthetic reaction center as a quantum heat engine. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 2013; 110(8):2746–2751. doi:10.1073/ pnas.1212666110.
[3] DL Nelson, MM Cox. Lehninger principles of biochemistry. 7th ed. New York: MacMillan; 2017, p. 1.
Mitch Menzmer is a professor of chemistry at Southern Adventist University. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from Clarkson University. In addition to interest in origins-related issues, his research interests include kinetics of cyclo-enyl cation formation from acid-catalyzed dehydration and/or protonation of alkyl-substituted small ring alcohols and/or alkenes, development of analytical treatments of kinetic data, and quantitative analysis of small protic molecules using proton nuclear magnetic resonance. Each semester, he directs a number of undergraduate chemistry majors in researching kinetic studies of organic reactions.