How does life not violate conservation of entropy?

[mrspeedybob]

A plant for example absorbs minerals and moisture from the soil and radiation from the sun. There is a huge variety of ways that these components can be arranged, but the plant organizes them into very specific structures such as proteins, cells, leaves, stem, roots, etc.

There are far more ways to arrange the matter and energy in a non-living way then there are to arrange it into a life form so how is it that life itself is not a violation of conservation of entropy?

 

[Vanadium 50]

There is no such thing as "conservation of entropy".

 

[Gear300]

In an isolated system, entropy generally increases, so it is not conserved. In the case of what you're writing, there is a book titled "What is Life?" by Erwin Schrödinger, in which he discusses the sort of thing you are considering.

 

[NobodySpecial]

And anyway - think how disordered a certain nearby star gets in order for a few little chlorophyl molecules to get a bit better ordered on earth.

 

[D H]

Conservation of entropy? There is no conservation of entropy law. I presume you are talking about the second law of thermodynamics, which says that for an isolated system, dS/dt >= 0. In other words, entropy increases or remains the same for an isolated system.

The Earth is not an isolated system.

 

[Mattenerinfo]

There is in no way a conservation of entropy, given that it contradicts itself. Also an interaction that is regulated, such as life, has limiters that keep very close control on the reactions that take place. Sunlight is not just absorbed and arranged on spot. The structures do not assemble themselves, they are put through processes. I agree that Earth is in no way an isolated system, nor is that plant you gave reference to. It is a controlled environment.