Information Theory, Evolution, and the Origin of Life - Hardcover

Yockey, Hubert P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521802938 ISBN 13: 9780521802932

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2005

Synopsis

Information Theory, Evolution and the Origin of Life presents a timely 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.

About this title

About the Author

Hubert Yockey is the author of Information Theory and Molecular Biology (1992).

Review

"These theories on information and on coding have been developed by Yockey to deal with communications problems in a quantitative and mathematical manner in molecular biology, in order to overcome the gap of lack of communication between the molecular biologists and the mathematicians, providing mathematical definitions for the vocabulary with which basic questions in molecular biology are debated....Such a book is not only useful for advanced undergraduates, but...for graduates and fullly developed research scientists in cellular and molecular biology and evolution." Cellular and Molecular Biology

."..written in a very lucid style. The roles of physics, chemistry and mathematics in biology are discussed again and again and the similarity between theoretical physics and theoretical molecular biology is always brought out. It is emphasised that molecular biology applications of information and coding theories should either explain the known experimental data or should suggest further experiments for verification of theoretical results obtained." J.N. Kapur, Mathematical Reviews

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521802938
• ISBN 13: 9780521802932
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 272