What does energy explain about life?
Study metabolism, cell evolution and bioelectric organisation, while keeping physical measurements distinct from proposed historical explanations.
Ways into the question
Introduction to Biology & evolution
How do biologists explain living systems?
Begin with Nick Lane
How can an energy constraint shape an evolutionary explanation?
Begin with Lynn Margulis
What evidence supports an endosymbiotic origin?
Begin with Michael Levin
What would distinguish an anatomical-control mechanism from a metaphor about cognition?
Thinkers to read
Nick Lane
Evolutionary biochemistry and accounts of how energy conversion shaped life. Trace the mechanism and distinguish evidence from a proposed historical sequence.
Lynn Margulis
Endosymbiosis and the evolutionary importance of relationships among organisms. Compare the evidence for organelle origins with wider claims about symbiosis.
Michael Levin
Developmental bioelectricity and frameworks for regulation and biological agency. Separate a voltage intervention and observed anatomical outcome from its interpretation.