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How does thermodynamics apply to biological systems as well as machines?

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Engraved portrait of Rudolf Julius Emanuel Clausius, a bearded man in formal attire with sideburns, facing forward. — thermodynamics Rudolf Clausius (1822 - 1888) is considered one of the central founders of the science of thermodynamics.

Thermodynamics provides a universal framework for understanding energy transformation in both machines and biological systems, governed by the first law of thermodynamics (conservation of energy) and the second law of thermodynamics (entropy).123

Machines

Machines, such as heat engines, operate by converting heat into work. According to the first law, the work produced is the difference between heat absorbed at a high temperature and heat exhausted at a lower temperature. The second law dictates that no engine can be 100% efficient, as some energy must always be lost as waste heat to the environment.13

Biological Systems

Biological systems are open systems that transform energy to maintain order. While they appear to defy the second law by building complex structures, they do not violate it; they maintain internal organization by degrading energy gradients (such as solar energy) and releasing heat into their surroundings, thereby increasing the total entropy of the universe. Organisms utilize free energy for biological work, but like machines, they are subject to the fundamental physical limits of energy efficiency and dissipation.425