Active biological mechanisms: transforming energy into motion in molecular motors

Abstract Unless one embraces activities as foundational, understanding in mechanisms requires an account of the means by which entities biological engage their activities—an that does not merely explain terms more basic and activities. Recent research on molecular motors (myosin kinesin) exemplifies such account, explains free energy constraints. After describing characteristic “stepping” these molecules mapping stages those steps onto motors’ hydrolytic cycles, researchers pieced together from images different hydrolyzation states accounts how chemical ATP is transformed constrained environments into motors. We argue New Mechanism’s standard set analytic categories—entities (parts), (operations), organization—should be expanded to include constraints energetics. Not only expansion required descriptively capture but, importantly a philosophical point view, it enables non-regressive mechanisms. In other words, this mechanistic explanation avoids regress “all way down.” Rather, bottoms out