Conservation laws of metabolism and mortality

Abstract

Quantitatively accurate laws of metabolism and mortality, which are the same for species with different evolutionary history (e.g., humans and flies), are derived and extensively verified. Such conservation (with respect to evolution, i.e., in non-stationary and heterogeneous conditions) laws are unique for self-organized live systems. They impose restrictions on biological heterogeneity, establish two universal ways of its evolution, predict a new kind of rapid (compared to lifespan) adaptation and reversible mortality, which may be directed. Predictions agree with experimental data. Exact criterion unravels universal conservation law in non-universal experimental dependences, and accurately divides a heterogeneous population into non-universal groups which yield the law. With 5% mean accuracy this allows to approximate and forecast mortality in different countries, and resolves a two century old controversy with the universal law of mortality.