wellwisher
Well-Known Member
The guiding principle for life is water. Liquid water is a very stable matrix of water molecules, where each molecule of water secondary bonds with up to four strong hydrogen bonds. This imparts stability to liquid water and gives it a huge boiling point for such a small and light molecule.
Individual water molecules are also very stable molecules, born in fire; terminal product of combustion and metabolism or the oxygen and hydrogen flame. The liquid water molecule and matrix has not changed over time. It was there before life and has stayed the same as life evolved. The stability of water has the highest priority in life; timeless self organized bookend.
The organics, which are the other side of the coin of life, have the opposite role, in the sense that organics seem to have endless possibilities, due to the four bonds possible with carbon atoms in organic materials. Water does not change but the organics are always changing; synthesis, recycle and creation. Just as water and oil do not mix, this endless variety of organics in water, create unique surface tension profiles in water, adding potential and even gradients to the water matrix stability. The matrix of water, lowering this potential over time, is vector for cradle to grave evolution.
For example, if we mixed lipids in water, the surface tension of the water, will force the lipids to oriented to minimize surface tension, thereby forming a cell membrane; chaos to order. This is not random, but driven by the needs of the strongly bonded water matrix to reform. This repeatable and timeless shape of the lipids defines minimal energy in water. This is not zero energy, so there is lingering potential, that will require the addition of proteins to further lower the potential.
Ions are important, since these help to extend the bandwidth of the water matrix. The two most important ions are Sodium and Potassium, since these two positive ions can compete with the hydrogen bonding of water and extend its bandwidth; both up and down. Sodium is kosmotropic creating more order in the water matrix than pure water will create for itself. While potassium is chaotropic creating more disorder in water than pure water creates for itself. Cells tend to accumulate potassium inside and sodium outside to create two different water zones with two different water needs.
Inside the cell, the potential of the internal water matrix is used to fold and pack protein. The folding begins with the moieties with the most surface tension in water being packed first; hydrophobic. This lowers the water surface tension, the fastest. The folding finishes with the lowest surface tension moieties on the surface. This is highly repeatable, due to the same protein types following the same potential gradient logic. The potassium by making the water more chaotic, adds some slack to the minimal surface tension requirements, so enzymes can flex; Enzymes need conformational changes to work properly.
Outside the cell, the sodium by creating more order in water mimics surface tension; attractant for food. Organic food materials will add surface tension to the outside water, as they approach and collect near the cell. This could force pure water to become too ordered, until it might tries to reverse the surface tension; repelling the food. The Sodium orders the water, outside the cell, so it is easier for even more food to flow toward the membrane; mimic higher surface tension.
Neurons expand 90% of their metabolic energy pumping and exchanging sodium and potassium ions. The firing of neurons causes these cations to reverse. Sodium in and potassium out temporarily reverses the water compartments. It creates more Sodium induced order in the cell, for changes connected to fixed memory. Outside, the potassium prevent a food log jam that could impede the surface flow of ions.
