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CONTEXTUALITY NOT BLUEPRINT. “The genome is only a small part of the story. DNA is not a blueprint for an organism: no information is actively processed by DNA alone.” https://lnkd.in/ewsT9EQ View in LinkedIn

“BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION has an additional quality which may roughly be called ‘functionality’—or ‘contextuality’—that sets it apart from a collection of mere bits.” https://lnkd.in/ewsT9EQ View in LinkedIn

SLIPPERY DEVIL. “Unfortunately, the way that information operates in biology is not easily characterized.” https://lnkd.in/ewsT9EQ View in LinkedIn

GREATER THAN THE SUM. “If life is more than just complex chemistry, its unique informational management properties may be the crucial indicator of this distinction.” https://lnkd.in/ewsT9EQ View in LinkedIn

UNIQUE STATUS. “The manner in which information flows through and between cells and sub-cellular structures is quite unlike anything else observed in nature.” https://lnkd.in/ewsT9EQ View in LinkedIn

UNIQUE STATUS. “The manner in which information flows through and between cells and sub-cellular structures is quite unlike anything else observed in nature.” https://lnkd.in/ewsT9EQ View in LinkedIn

NEUROSPORA HARD CALL. “Fully distinguishing between natural and sexual selection is a challenging task involving aspects of molecular function, physiology, behavior, and ecology." https://lnkd.in/eUbE-is View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this first of two weekends on the topic of biological information, which many believe is a defining part of what differentiates life from non-life. Prions are at least one exception, being relatively simple molecules that can evolve and reproduce. My favorite take-away from this section is that life is information that can replicate. This completely reframes the question and perspective, and does broadly include quirks like prions. View in LinkedIn

English rivers polluted by powerful insecticides, first tests reveal https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/13/english-rivers-polluted-by-powerful-insecticides-first-tests-reveal?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other View in LinkedIn

KEY FEATURE. “We postulate that it is the transition to context-dependent causation—mediated by the onset of information control—that is the key defining characteristic of life.” https://lnkd.in/ewsT9EQ View in LinkedIn