ENTROPY PRODUCTION IN HUMAN LIFE-SPAN - A THERMODYNAMICAL MEASURE FOR AGING

From the human entropy production per surface area obtained in a previous study, entropy productions per human individual of various ages are calculated. It is shown that the entropy production increases from birth to about 16 years of age for males and to about 14 years of age for females, and then gradually decreases afterwards. Th is two-stage principle characteristic of entropy production (the early increase and the later decrease) does not accord with the well-known minimum entropy production principle. The ''two-stage principle'' will be universally applied to aging over the life span of humans and other animals.