Title: Thermodynamic assessment of information transmission in squid's giant axon may explain why squid populations thrive with global warming

Authors: Bahar Hazal Yalçınkaya; Bayram Yılmaz; Mustafa Özilgen

Addresses: Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Yeditepe University, 34755 Istanbul, Turkey ' Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Yeditepe University Hospital, 34755 Istanbul, Turkey ' Department of Food Engineering, Yeditepe University, 34755 Istanbul, Turkey

Abstract: Thermodynamic analyses are performed to determine the effects of global warming on information transmittance in the squid giant axon. Squids are cold-blooded animals and their body temperature is the same as that of the environment. Modelling showed that at 6.3°C energy cost, exergy destruction and entropy generation were 1.77 × 10⁻¹⁰ kJ/cm², 3.49 × 10⁻⁹ kJ/cm², and 1.25 × 10⁻¹¹ kJ/K cm², respectively. Entropy generation decreased with temperature increase, implying that living became easier for the squid. Thermodynamic analyses performed in this study may help to explain why the squid populations thrive with global warming.

Keywords: global warming; neuronal energy; entropy generation; exergy destruction; activation entropy; Fermi energy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2019.103722

International Journal of Global Warming, 2019 Vol.19 No.3, pp.233 - 250

Received: 28 Nov 2018
Accepted: 21 May 2019
Published online: 25 Nov 2019 *

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