In hierarchical thermodynamics, the wick model is a conceptual model of aging in living organisms in which the wick of a burning candle, as a quasi-closed, quasi-equilibrium thermodynamic system, models transformation of structure over time of life, wherein both cases the chemical composition changes slowly during the course of its evolution. The model was conceived by Russian physical chemist Georgi Gladyshev in 2007. [1]

The evolution of composition and structure of wick, as a reactive system, is analogous, in a primitive way, to the evolution of the composition and structure of a hierarchical living systems, both of which evolve in the direction that tends to minimize the Gibbs free energy (the specific Gibbs function) of formation of each structure.


References
1. Gladyshev, Georgi. (2007). "A Burning Candle Wick as a Model of a Living System", Academy of Creative Endeavors.