Talmudic Question #89

 

Of the ~10³⁰ prokaryotic cells on Earth, what proportion would you guess are viable (using your favorite criterion for viability)?

 
 

 
 

Comments

[qetzal]

I like Jason' steady-state analysis, too, except I think there's another factor to consider. How long does a dead cell persist?

I think the percentage of live cells will depend on the degradation half-life of the dead cells (i.e. the time it takes a dead cell to degrade to the point that it no longer counts as a cell at all).

If the degradation half-life is the same as the generation time, then there should be 50% live cells. If the degradation time is longer (shorter), the percentage of live cells should be lower (higher) than 50%.