Life as Boundary-Condition Updateability: Sustained Non-Diffusive Motion and Temporal Connectivity in Non-Equilibrium Open Fields

This preprint presents a theoretical framework for defining life as a physical phase characterized by the continued updateability of boundary conditions in a non-equilibrium open field. Rather than focusing on molecular composition or biological function, the work identifies sustained non-diffusive motion, internally generated temporal structure, and future-state referencing as core physical features of living systems.

An independent section on conceptual validation outlines operational criteria by which the proposed framework may be empirically examined, without prescribing specific experimental systems. The manuscript is intended as a foundational definition paper and as a reference point for future experimental, computational, and theoretical studies of biological persistence and irreversible loss of living organization.