Abstract

A unified science of life is extended to the fundamental unit of life – the biological cell. This theoretical study conceives a cell as a machine characterized by dipole strength (Ampere.meter), a constituent of the dipole moment of a cell. We present dipole strength as an individual characteristic of a cell that can help define the Hamiltonian, the total energy of a cell in its collective state, following the notational variant of the classical fields. Hamiltonian space is defined by an ordered pair of potential energy and kinetic energy. A framework for a science of life is presented in Hamiltonian space along with an equation of motion in terms of power. The framework is isomorphic across three levels of organization of life: cell, organism (human individual), and population (human society). theory of measurement is presented to validate the model of the cell in terms of macroscopic observables such as cell membrane potential (volts) and dipole orientation (degrees), utilizing an experimental design and setup in spectroscopy and cell physiology.