On Growth, Form, and Function—A Fantasia on the Design of a Mammal

Abstract

The development of a system’s biology, as a common construct for both physiologist and engineer, requires both a theory of structures (form) and a theory of dynamics (function). A dynamic organizing principle—“homeokinesis”—for the living system was proposed earlier. Based on thermodynamic reasoning, homeokinesis attempts to capture the physical essence of homeostasis. Now, a primitive foundation is proposed from which a large family of design characteristics might emerge, by self-organization, in complex biological organisms. This foundation is directed at the emergence of major form parameters of the entire class of mammalia, from 3 gm adult shrews to 100,000 kg whales.