Julius Robert Mayer was a German doctor with an interest in physics. He hypothesized the equivalence of heat and work based on his observation of blood when in a tropical climate compared to a northern climate. There was a difference in redness which he attributed to temperature. He is considered one of the founders of thermodynamics. Are there other examples in which biology illuminated physics?
Previously it was thought that some of the biological reactions do not obey thermodynamics and even for a biochemical reaction with positive delta G the reaction occurs! But it was soon realised that non can violate thermdynamics and the birth od coupled reaction has been discovered. An uphill reaction when coupled with a reaction with fovorable negative delta G change can be pushed to complete both the reactions.
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