Information Theory, Evolution, and the Origin of Life

Hubert P. Yockey

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511546433

Originally published in 2005, Information Theory, Evolution and the Origin of Life presents an introduction to the use of information theory and coding theory in molecular biology. The genetical information system, because it is linear and digital, resembles the algorithmic language of computers. George Gamow pointed out that the application of Shannon's information theory breaks genetics and molecular biology out of the descriptive mode into the quantitative mode and Dr Yockey develops this theme, discussing how information theory and coding theory can be applied to molecular biology. He discusses how these tools for measuring the information in the sequences of the genome and the proteome are essential for our complete understanding of the nature and origin of life. The author writes for the computer competent reader who is interested in evolution and the origins of life.

- Aa Reduce text
- Aa Enlarge text

View selected items
Save to my bookmarks
Export citations
Download PDF (zip)
Save to Kindle
Save to Dropbox
Save to Google Drive
Save content to
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to .

To save content items to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Please be advised that item(s) you selected are not available.
You are about to save
Your Kindle email address

Please provide your Kindle email.

@free.kindle.com @kindle.com (service fees apply)

By using this service, you agree that you will only keep content for personal use, and will not openly distribute them via Dropbox, Google Drive or other file sharing services

Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-vi
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

Contents
pp vii-viii
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

Preface
pp ix-xii
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

1 - The genetic information system
pp 1-7
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

2 - James Watson, Francis Crick, George Gamow, and the genetic code
pp 8-19
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

3 - The Central Dogma of molecular biology
pp 20-26
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

4 - The measure of the information content in the genetic message
pp 27-32
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

5 - Communication of information from the genome to the proteome
pp 33-56
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

6 - The information content or complexity of protein families
pp 57-92
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

7 - Evolution of the genetic code and its modern characteristics
pp 93-113
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

8 - Haeckel's Urschleim and the role of the Central Dogma in the origin of life
pp 114-148
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

9 - Philosophical approaches to the origin of life
pp 149-157
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

10 - The error catastrophe and the hypercycles of Eigen and Schuster
pp 158-163
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

11 - Randomness, complexity, the unknowable, and the impossible
pp 164-175
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

12 - Does evolution need an intelligent designer?
pp 176-181
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

13 - Epilogue
pp 182-190
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

Mathematical appendix
pp 191-212
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

Glossary
pp 213-218
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

References
pp 219-250
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

Index
pp 251-259
- - Get access
    
    Check if you have access via personal or institutional login
    
    Log in Register
- Export citation

Metrics

Altmetric attention score

Total number of HTML views: 0

Total number of PDF views: 0 *

Loading metrics...

Total views: 0 *

Loading metrics...

* Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.

Usage data cannot currently be displayed.

Why this information is here

This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.

Accessibility Information

Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this book is currently unknown and may be updated in the future.

Information Theory, Evolution, and the Origin of Life

This Book has been cited by the following publications. This list is generated based on data provided by Crossref.

Book description

Refine List

Actions for selected content:

Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-vi

Contents
pp vii-viii

Preface
pp ix-xii

1 - The genetic information system
pp 1-7

2 - James Watson, Francis Crick, George Gamow, and the genetic code
pp 8-19

3 - The Central Dogma of molecular biology
pp 20-26

4 - The measure of the information content in the genetic message
pp 27-32

5 - Communication of information from the genome to the proteome
pp 33-56

6 - The information content or complexity of protein families
pp 57-92

7 - Evolution of the genetic code and its modern characteristics
pp 93-113

8 - Haeckel's Urschleim and the role of the Central Dogma in the origin of life
pp 114-148

9 - Philosophical approaches to the origin of life
pp 149-157

10 - The error catastrophe and the hypercycles of Eigen and Schuster
pp 158-163

11 - Randomness, complexity, the unknowable, and the impossible
pp 164-175

12 - Does evolution need an intelligent designer?
pp 176-181

13 - Epilogue
pp 182-190

Mathematical appendix
pp 191-212

Glossary
pp 213-218

References
pp 219-250

Index
pp 251-259

Metrics

Altmetric attention score

Full text views

Book summary page views

Accessibility standard: Unknown

Why this information is here

Accessibility Information

Information Theory, Evolution, and the Origin of Life

Book description

Refine List

Actions for selected content:

Save Search

Contents

Metrics

Altmetric attention score

Full text views

Book summary page views

Accessibility standard: Unknown

Why this information is here

Accessibility Information