[Thermodynamics of life from the point of view of technical thermodynamics and exergy].

All living beings are, from the thermodynamic point of view, open, well regulated, and optimized systems with considerable internal irreversibilities. However scientific research is mainly based on closed systems. The theory of open systems is very well developed in engineering thermodynamics. Here the concept of "exergy"--the thermodynamic potential related to given surroundings--clearly distinguishes between the two concepts of the word "energy".