Abstract
In this chapter we first define ultradian rhythms and offer a brief tutorial on spectroscopic methods to extract them from data, including some cautionary comments regarding false positive identifications. We then contrast features of ultradian rhythms with those of circadian rhythms and conjecture that the former are the basic rhythmic signature of life. To justify that conjecture we introduce a physical heuristic – homeodynamics – that presents quantized, cyclic action (the product of energy × time) as an essential thermodynamic characteristic of open systems that persist over times that are long compared to their internal process times. From that perspective we argue that the start-up of terrestrial life began with energetics (metabolism) as dynamics manifested by ultradian rhythms, only later acquiring informational molecular memories and constraints as relatively static codes.
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Yates, F.E., Yates, L.B. (2008). Ultradian Rhythms as the Dynamic Signature of Life. In: Lloyd, D., Rossi, E.L. (eds) Ultradian Rhythms from Molecules to Mind. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8352-5_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8352-5_11
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