living organism
"A living organism is like a walking chemistry lab; the ability to sustain life is dependent on our metabolism. Defining metabolism is all about the chemical reactions that take place in our cells."
"The difference between the machine and the living organism is like the difference between numbers and mathematical rules. The complexity of the machine is phenomenological, static, and passive; while that of the living organism is organizational, dynamic, and active."
"So, as Huxley says, a living organism is like a flame or a whirlpool, which is an ever changing though seemingly constant individuality."
"The living organism is like a well-maintained chemical factory: a number of organic compounds are incessantly produced and degraded, while various inorganic materials-non-carbon compounds, metals, and minerals-are consumed, to keep the system alive. Almost all chemical reactions in this factory are catalyzed by protein molecules called enzymes. As catalysts, enzymes speed up enormously (10-billion-fold) the rate of specific biochemical reactions. "
"A living organism is like a running clock. If it is not wound up,
it will sooner or later run out of free energy and stop. If the clock
of life on earth would be left to run down without rewinding, it would
take less than one hundred years for all life on the planet to approach
its end. First, green plants would die from starvation. Man and other
animals who feed on plants would follow. And finally, bacteria and fungi
feeding on dead animal and plant tissues would exhaust their food and die too."
"A living organism is like a Boeing 747 in flight with the added ability of being able to repair a broken propeller."
"Living organism is like an energy and information processing apparatus with the ability to self replicate. "
"The living organism is like a well-maintained chemical factory: a number of organic compounds are incessantly produced and degraded, while various inorganic materials-non-carbon compounds, metals, and minerals-are consumed, to keep the system alive"
"So, as Huxley says, a living organism is like a flame or a whirlpool, which is an ever changing though seemingly constant individuality."
"A living organism is like a running clock. If it is not wound up, it will sooner or later run out of free energy and stop"
"Biological systems are dynamic, not static. A living organism is like a whirlpool. A whirlpool is a complex ordered structure that dissipates energy caused by friction between streams moving at different velocities next to each other. It is never composed of the same molecules of water from moment to moment and once water has passed through the whirlpool it never returns. The whirlpool is the structure, not the transitory water."
METAMIA is a free database of analogy and metaphor. Anyone can contribute or search. The subject matter can be anything. Science is popular, but poetry is encouraged. The goal is to integrate our fluid muses with the stark literalism of a relational database. Metamia is like a girdle for your muses, a cognitive girdle.