Non-biochemical

Referring to anything that is not related to, or does not involve, the chemical processes occurring within living organisms, including but not limited to: metabolic pathways, cellular processes, and the interactions of biological molecules like proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates. It encompasses physical, mechanical, or environmental factors that influence biological systems, but do not involve the chemical reactions that define biochemistry. This term emphasizes a distinction from the realm of molecular biology and the chemical composition and activity that characterizes life.

Non-biochemical meaning with examples

• The impact of UV radiation on skin is a non-biochemical process; the damage arises from physical disruption and energy transfer, not directly from chemical reactions involving enzymes or metabolites. While subsequent inflammation involves biochemical pathways, the initial damage itself is non-biochemical. The UV radiation acts as a direct physical agent.
• Observing the migration patterns of birds, which are influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and wind, presents a non-biochemical phenomenon. There is no consideration of chemical changes within the birds for this type of analysis. The focus is on external forces that affect the organism's behavior rather than its internal chemical workings.
• The mechanics of muscle contraction, at the level of fiber sliding, are largely non-biochemical. While the triggering of contraction involves biochemical processes, the movement itself – the physical shortening of the sarcomere – can be described by mechanical principles. The focus is on the physical arrangement of the muscle's proteins rather than their chemical reactions.
• Studying the geological conditions that affect plant growth, like soil composition and water availability, is a non-biochemical consideration. Although nutrient uptake involves biochemical processes within the plant, the factors controlling access to these nutrients are physical and environmental, not chemical in nature at this level of investigation.