Revealing quote from Baez in this article: "I’m ... eager to dig deeper into open reaction networks. They’re a small but nontrivial step toward my dream of a mathematics of living systems. My working hypothesis is that living systems seem ‘messy’ to physicists because they operate at a higher level of abstraction. That’s what I’m trying to explore."
I really appreciate this research program. Mathematics and physics have had such a fruitful relationship and this won't be any different. A common language, the ability to make precise analogies. Modern science is much like the tower of Babel, scattering the tribes with their disparate languages. Fundamental mathematical research like this is the only chance to bring them together.