Information theory

• The science of consciousness is particularly hard, beset with philosophical difficulties and a scarcity of experimental data.
• And that might have been that, with researchers continuing to investigate these and other theories of how our brains generate experience.
• The science of consciousness has its factions and quarrels but this development is unprecedented, and threatens to do lasting damage.

What is integrated information theory?

• Italian neuroscientist Giulio Tononi first proposed integrated information theory in 2004, and it is now on “version 4.0”.
• Roughly, this means the information the system as a whole has over and above the information had by its parts.
• Instead, integrated information theory begins with “phenomenological axioms”, supposedly self-evident claims about the nature of consciousness.

Three criticisms

• First, it argues this is not a “leading theory of consciousness” and has received more media attention than it deserves.
• The third claim has provoked the most outcry: integrated information theory is “pseudoscience”.

Is integrated information theory a leading theory?

• Whether you agree with integrated information theory or not – and I myself have criticised it – there is little doubt it is a “leading theory of consciousness”.
• By one account, integrated information theory is the third-most discussed theory of consciousness in the scientific literature, out-stripped only by global workspace theory and recurrent processing theory.

Is it more problematic than other theories?

• According to the letter, integrated information theory says “human fetuses at very early stages of development” are likely conscious.
• Are the implications of integrated information theory more problematic than those of other leading theories?
• That’s far from obvious, and there are certainly versions of other theories whose implications would be every bit as radical as those of integrated information theory.

Is it pseudoscience?

• It also claims integrated information theory wasn’t “meaningfully tested” by the head-to-head contest earlier this year.
• But none of this justifies treating integrated information theory – or indeed any other theory of consciousness – as pseudoscience.
• In effect, it’s an attempt to “deplatform” or silence integrated information theory – to deny it deserves serious attention.

• The universality of the genetic code indicates a common ancestry among all living organisms and the essential role this code plays in the structure, function and regulation of biological cells.
• Understanding how the genetic code works is the foundation of genetic engineering and synthetic biology.
• Just as computers need strings of binary code to function, biological processes also rely on bits of information.

Different words for the same thing

• Ribosomes read three-letter words called codons, and there are 64 different possible combinations of the four letters that make different codons.
• In this list of 64 words, 61 encode amino acids, and three signal the ribosome to stop protein synthesis in the cell.
• In fact, since there are only 20 amino acids but 61 different words to encode them, there is quite a lot of overlap.

Engineering nature’s guidelines

• The mapping of the 61 codes onto the the 20 amino acids would be roughly equal, with each amino acid assigned three codons.
• Not only does the final form of a protein need to be optimal, but so do its intermediate forms.
• Scientists understand some of the guidelines that nature follows when engineering the genetic code.

Information theory and genetics

• Nature’s affinity for optimization using this irrational number is responsible for the infinitely repeating fractals seen in jagged shorelines, fern leaves, snowflakes and trees.
• Beyond biology, information optimization using e also has applications in mathematics and cosmology.
• Entropy is a measure of disorder in a system, and the maximum entropy principle states that systems evolve to states of greater disorder.
• Although there are many biological mysteries that scientists have yet to solve, information theory can be a powerful tool to help crack the genetic code.

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• The contemporary renaissance of generative art will be in the spotlight at this years Art Basel in Basel at the groundbreaking exhibition Chance Encounters in New Mediums: Generative Art, Presented by Tezos .
• Chance Encounters in New Mediums: Generative Art, Presented by Tezos will also feature a selection of works from pioneering generative artists that represent the global, diverse Tezos NFT art community.
• Chance Encounters in New Mediums: Generative Art, Presented by Tezos will be on view from June 16-19, 2022, at Art Basel in Basel, at Messe Basel.
• In her research and artistic practice she combines various media, mainly focusing on interactive art, art games, and generative art.