ENGLISH

Information Theory and Evolution

By John Avery

Book information

Publisher
WS
Year
2003
ISBN
9812383999, 9789812383990
Language
english
Format
DJVU
Filesize
2 MB (1613577 bytes)
Pages
232\232
Library
Kolxo3
DPI
300
Time added
2012-08-21 20:00:00

Description

An interdisciplinary discussion of 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 text. One of the final chapters discusses the merging of information technology and biotechnology into a new discipline - bio-information technology.

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