Information: currency of life?

Abstract

In biology, the exception is mostly the rule, and the rule is mostly the exception. However, recent results indicate that known universal concepts in biology such as the genetic code or the utilization of ATP as a source of energy may be complemented by a large class of principles based on Shannon's concept of information. The present position paper discusses various promising pathways toward the formulation of such generic informational principles and their relevance for the realm of biology.

Figure 1. Model grid with target spot.

Figure 2. Trade-off between information (horizontal axis, in bit∕step) and utility (vertical axis, denoted as negative values—the more negative, the more costly the behavior; a value of −40 means an average path length of 40 steps until reaching the goal).

Figure 3. Structure of the perception-action loop of an organism.

Figure 4. Empowerment for immovable and movable box.

The horizontal plane denotes the organism location, and the vertical axis gives the empowerment value. Note that for better visibility the diagrams use different scale; the empowerment differences for the immovable box are much smaller than for the movable.