BIOLOGICAL ORDER 



interdependent units. In a factory, different types of devices con- 

 trolling order are interacting at various levels. 



The cell is a factory. It has to synthesize all the building blocks 

 in the right proportions and in the right amounts. A substance pro- 

 duced in excess means waste. And waste decreases the chances in 



aminoacids 



metabolism 



reproduction 



Figure 11. Metabolism, Growth, and Reproduction. 



Food is metabolized. The small building blocks, the essential metabolites 

 (amino acids and nucleic bases), are synthesized. Nucleic bases are organized 

 into nucleic acids. The duplication of the desoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is 

 the very basis of reproduction. The manufacture of ribonucleic acid is the 

 prerequisite for protein synthesis. Amino acids will be patternized into specific 

 protein on the ribonucleic acid templates. 



the Struggle for life. A balance also has to be maintained between 

 the various macromolecules, especially between nucleic acids and 

 proteins. An imbalance may lead to cellular disease and even to 

 death. Moreover, organisms do not live in a constant environment. 

 This is true especially for bacteria. In nature, they encounter a 

 wide variety of conditions. And in the laboratory, these poor beasts 

 are submitted to terrifying ill-treatment. 



The statement that the organism reproduces true to type is 



[36] 



