It is always about God complexes with you lot! I’m fairly placid, but in terms of iModeller an inferiority complex is probably nearer the truth! I really should read the Pullman stuff, but books on Dunkirk keep getting in the way...
Anyway, in those days I was always more about Gibbs (Free) Energy - in fact, closed systems in the context of the Universe. Very small closed systems in my case. Much less exciting, but a nicer analogy for life as a builder of small plastic things - fairly irrelevant reactions (energetically) not changing the entropy of the universe much. And energy input from the sun is the ultimate reason biological systems don’t transgress the second law. It’s all about equilibrium!
Much more interestingly I once studied the nature of the fluorescence that occurs when scorpions down-convert UV light from the sun. This may or may not have included collaborations with London Zoo, shining lights on Limulids and Solfugids. And David, it is entirely possible that your submersible disturbed a limulid or two during its recovery of the coral-encrusted wreck (I’d tell you that I can’t bring myself to say ‘poopie cat’ but you probably cross-reference it to issues I had during childhood. And you’d probably be right.). Either that or a compulsive need to tie up all those loose ends...
(Disclaimer - the over-simplification of scientific principles in this post, to allow for the flagrant cracking of corny jokes is in no way an invitation to deep scientific debate. In modeller terms - if you think the rivet counters are bad here, try existing in a room populated by biologists and physicists for half and hour (I won’t mention chemists). I’ll tell you now, it can get pretty ugly!).