ATP as the biological currency of collective cognition

We demonstrate that adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a quantifiable biological substrate of systemic cognitive capacity. Within the ISHEA–KTR–TACC–IHC framework, ATP efficiency serves as a direct proxy for the health of knowledge-processing ecosystems. Using preregistered analyses (OSF: 10.17605/OSF.IO/WST24) and global data (n = 89 countries, 2015–2024), we show that chronic cognitive tension (high TACC) dysregulates mitochondrial function—manifesting as obesity, cancer mortality, and suicide—while successful knowledge processing (high K-Flow) preserves ATP homeostasis. Comparative analysis of Argentina (low K/T/R) and Australia (high K/T/R) reveals that, despite similar ATP stress, only high-K systems exhibit declining mortality and rising resilience. Sobol sensitivity analysis confirms ATP proxies explain 35.2% of variance in IHC—exceeding GDP. This work establishes ATP as a limiting energetic substrate of collective cognition, validated across six biological levels (The Economist, 2024) and measurable via open-data indicators.