Robert Marks sends these endorsements for Evolutionary Informatics: (Note: It is surprisingly easy to read.) ··············· “An honest attempt to discuss what few people seem to realize is an important problem. Thought provoking!” Gregory Chaitin, Ph.D. Professor, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Eponyms: Kolmogorov-Chaitin-Solomonov Information Theory Chaitin’s Number Chaitin’s algorithm Author of:The Unknowable Meta Read More…
Informatics
Information theory is bad news for Darwin: Evolutionary informatics takes off
The book Introduction to Evolutionary Informatics continues to make waves. The Lab writes to say: A lot continues to happen surrounding the release of “Introduction to Evolutionary Informatics” by Robert J. Marks, William A. Dembski and Winston Ewert: Here’s a quick summary of media. – AI means the topic is Artificial Intelligence hype – Read More…
Why evolution can never get any smarter
A friend writes to raise the question of Basener’s ceiling: From Robert Marks II at ENV: We show that no meaningful information can arise from an evolutionary process unless that process is guided. Even when guided, the degree of evolution’s accomplishment is limited by the expertise of the guiding information source — a limit we Read More…
Oddities from fake news: We didn’t know Uncommon Descent was starving in 2015
Looking for an odd piece of information in the middle of the night (unrelated to controversies around design in nature), I stumbled across a claim from The Skeptical Zone back in June 2015: Uncommon Descent is starving I was naturally curious, as I don’t recall anyone starving at the time. Or anything in particular, really. Read More…
Robert Marks on new evolutionary informatics book – not Darwin-friendly
Don’t watch this if you are completely committed to your local End of Science rent-a-riot: See also: Book: Computer simulations yield very minor results for Darwinian evolution Evolutionary Informatics is, despite the math stuff, quite readable. It’s a good look at one part of the real future of discussions around evolution: What can and can’t Read More…
Book: Computer simulations yield very minor results for Darwinian evolution
From Brian Miller at Evolution News & Views: In the evolution debate, a key issue is the ability of natural selection to produce complex innovations. In a previous article, I explained based on engineering theories of innovation why the small-scale changes that drive microevolution should not be able to accumulate to generate the large-scale changes Read More…
Functional information vs. classical information: Two mistakes
From Kirk Durston at Contemplations: The first mistake is the failure to distinguish between classical forms of information vs. functional information, and is described in a short 2003 Nature article by Jack Szostak.(2) In the words of Szostak, classical information theory “does not consider the meaning of a message.” Furthermore, classical approaches, such as Kolmogorov Read More…
Intelligently Designed Errors
The first video release from the AM-Nat Biology conference is now available! In this video, Salvador Cordova talks about the possibility that many things that are commonly considered errors in biology actually have identifiable purposes. Cordova confronts what is both a theological and a scientific critique of design, and shows its limitations. As Sal points Read More…
Common ancestry: Bioinformaticist Julian Gough on the SUPERFAMILY database on proteins in genomes
In an interview with Suzan Mazur at Huffington Post. Mazur explains, Plug certain information into SUPERFAMILY and it can analyze a vast assortment of genomes and assist you in building a Tree of Life using superfamilies — i.e., domains with an evolutionary relationship — and the conserved part of thousands and thousands of protein structures Read More…
Discovery of 7 times higher complexity of protein folding!
Can protein folding complexity be formed by stochastic processes? With 14 intermediate steps? JILA Team Discovers Many New Twists in Protein Folding Biophysicists at JILA have measured protein folding in more detail than ever before, revealing behavior that is surprisingly more complex than previously known. . . . They fold into three-dimensional shapes that determine Read More…
Quantum-like model of partially directed evolution?
From Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology: Abstract: (paywall)The background of this study is that models of the evolution of living systems are based mainly on the evolution of replicators and cannot explain many of the properties of biological systems such as the existence of the sexes, molecular exaptation and others. The purpose of this Read More…
Should we begin to think in terms of micro-ID and Macro-/ General ID?
. . . that is, the design inference vs. the broader scientific investigation of a world of life and cosmos that are infused with complex, functionally specific information and complex, functional organisation? In the Turing test thread, just now, I raised this issue in responding to GP and SA . . . and I think Read More…
Prof Bob Marks on what computers can’t do
Evo-Info: Some Things Computers Will Never Do: Nonalgorithmic Creativity and Unknowability: See also: Evolutionary Informatics Lab: A look inside Follow UD News at Twitter!
UD Guest Post: Dr Eugen S on the second law of thermodynamics (plus . . . ) vs. “evolution”
Our Physicist and Computer Scientist from Russia — and each element of that balance is very relevant — is back, with more. MOAR, in fact. This time, he tackles the “terror-fitted depths” of thermodynamics and biosemiotics. (NB: Those needing a backgrounder may find an old UD post here and a more recent one here, helpful.) Read More…
Hubert Yockey, 1916-2016, and His Contributions to the Intelligent Design Movement
I was sad to recently realize that Hubert Yockey passed earlier (in January) this year. Hubert Yockey, though he personally was against Intelligent Design, made many contributions to science that many of us within the ID community view as pro-ID work. I wanted to take a moment to appreciate and reflect on his contributions as Read More…