Information Theory and EvolutionThis highly interdisciplinary book discusses the phenomenon of life, including its origin and evolution (and also human cultural evolution), against the background of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and information theory. Among the central themes is the seeming contradiction between the second law of thermodynamics and the high degree of order and complexity produced by living systems. This paradox has its resolution in the information content of the Gibbs free energy that enters the biosphere from outside sources, as the author shows. The role of information in human cultural evolution is another focus of the book. One of the final chapters discusses the merging of information technology and biotechnology into a new discipline ? bio-information technology. |
Contents
PIONEERS OF EVOLUTIONARY THOUGHT | 1 |
CHARLES DARWINS LIFE AND WORK 133 | 13 |
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION | 35 |
STATISTICAL MECHANICS AND INFORMATION | 73 |
INFORMATION FLOW IN BIOLOGY | 95 |
CULTURAL EVOLUTION AND INFORMATION | 109 |
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 133 |
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amino acids ancestors animals artificial automata automaton bacteria bacteriorhodopsin Beagle behavior binary biological biosemiotics Boltzmann brain called Cambridge cells cellular cellular automata century Chapter Charles Darwin chemical evolution chromosomes cm³ complementarity complex Condorcet contain cultural evolution cyanobacteria Cybernetics developed earth editors electronic energy-rich molecules entropy enzyme equation eukaryotes evolutionary evolved example fossil FOXP2 function genes genetic information genome Gibbs free energy History human cultural evolution Huxley hydrogen ideas information theory input invention Lamarck language later layer Linnæus living organisms London Lyell machine Maxwell's demon membrane million missing information modern molecular molecules multicellular mutations natural selection networks Neumann neuron nucleotide origin pattern plants population printing produced protein R.A. Fisher reaction Science Scientific American semiotic sequence Shannon signals species statistical mechanics strand structure symbiosis temperature thermodynamic thermodynamic information Tinbergen tion University Press virus writing wrote York