How does temperature affect life? This model of researchers will finally answer important questions

Temperature is an important physical factor that has a significant impact on life on Earth. On every scale, from individual molecules to entire ecosystems. To date, there is no mathematical model or general theory that explains how an increase or decrease in temperature affects a particular biological process. Things have finally changed, which is even more important at a time when humanity is grappling with global warming.

in a scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences The results of the research conducted by American scientists from the Santa Fe Institute were published. They put forward a simple theory describing the effect of temperature on living organisms on every scale.

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Why was such a model created? According to researchers, they The theory will help predict changes in many biological systemsoccurring under the influence of climate change. This makes it easy to predict when the next pandemic will break out or whether food production will meet the needs of the entire population.

Temperature and life on earth

and you know, Temperature has a huge impact on all life on Earth. So far, no one has succeeded in creating a synthetic model to describe this effect. Sometimes, scientists have used the Arrhenius equation to study the relationship between temperature and the rate of chemical reactions. Unfortunately, it is not an ideal tool because it ignores many biological aspects, such as metabolism or growth rate.

So what did the American scientists do? arrived at A theory describing the kinetics of enzymes. After adding some variables, they created a model at the quantum molecular level and then extended it to larger scales.

Scientists boast that their theory about the effect of temperature on biological processes on any scale is simple and universal:

The model can explain the patterns and behavior of any microorganism or whole taxa in any environment. (…) It is a very basic theory. It can be applied to almost any process affected by temperature. We hope it will be a groundbreaking contribution to world science.

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What’s Next? Does it all end up creating a new theory? Nothing similar! In other plans, scientists want to create Specific predictions of the organic world Based on this model. Perhaps we will find out what will happen to different types of living things in the future due to the increase in global temperature.