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.
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