Organisms, as physical systems, are bounded, self-organizing biological entities that maintain far-from-equilibrium states through regulated exchanges of matter, energy, and information with their environment. They exhibit hierarchical organization (molecular to organ system levels), robust homeostatic control, and emergent properties such as metabolism, growth, and reproduction. Organisms encode, express, and transmit genetic information, enabling adaptation via evolutionary processes. Their physical structure is constrained by biochemical networks, biophysical laws, and ecological interactions, and they often display modularity and redundancy to ensure functional resilience. As complex, nonlinear systems, organisms integrate internal and external signals to generate coordinated physiological and behavioral outputs.
Starfish, also known as sea stars, are equipped with an almost alien-like anatomy. Despite lacking a brain, blood, and central nervous system, these odd creatures still have locomotive abilities. The structure of their many ...
Complex life began to develop earlier, and over a longer span of time, than previously believed, a new study has revealed. The research sheds new light on the conditions needed for early organisms to evolve and challenges ...
Evolution
Dec 3, 2025
1
141
An international team of researchers, including scientists from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, has uncovered a surprisingly complex nervous system in sea urchins. The animals appear to possess an "all-body brain" whose ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 5, 2025
0
74
The Atlas blue butterfly, also known as Polyommatus atlantica, has been genetically confirmed as having the highest number of chromosomes out of all multicellular animals in the world.
Plants & Animals
Sep 10, 2025
0
130
From the mighty blue whale to the humble baker's yeast, scientists have barely begun to understand the vast genetic diversity among lifeforms. Of the 1.67 million known species of animal, plant, fungi and protists, just 1% ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 4, 2025
0
111
The American Academy of Microbiology, the honorific leadership group and scientific think tank of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), announced today the release of its landmark report, "Early Microbial Life: Our ...
Evolution
Jun 16, 2025
0
22
Every single organism on Earth, no matter the biome, the kingdom, the domain, whether it's an extremophile in a hot spring or some lithotroph buried in the crust, depends on water.
Astrobiology
Jun 5, 2025
0
156
