Evolution: theory of functional information (Evolution)

by David Turell , Thursday, October 19, 2023, 16:07 (399 days ago) @ David Turell

A huge group of scientists and philosophers developed this:

https://www.livescience.com/space/scientists-propose-missing-law-for-the-evolution-of-e...

"The "law of increasing functional information" says that complex systems in nature evolve to become more complex.

"Researchers have proposed a "missing" scientific law for the evolution of life, minerals, planets, stars and pretty much everything else in the universe.

"This new law identifies "universal concepts of selection" that drive systems to evolve, whether they're living or not. It addresses the tendency for natural systems in the universe to become more complex over time.

"The research team behind the law, which included philosophers, astrobiologists, a theoretical physicist, a mineralogist and a data scientist, have called it "the law of increasing functional information."

***

"Scientific laws are descriptions of observed phenomena. They don't explain why those phenomena exist or what causes them, but they advance our scientific understanding and provide a launching pad for future research.

"The new law states that "the functional information of a system will increase (i.e., the system will evolve) if many different configurations of the system undergo selection for one or more functions," the researchers wrote in the study.

"The law applies to systems that form from numerous components — such as atoms, molecules and cells — which can be arranged and rearranged repeatedly and adopt multiple different configurations, according to the statement. The law also says these configurations are selected based on function, and only a few survive.

"Expanding Darwin's theory of evolution, the researchers claim that non-living systems also evolve when a novel configuration of components works and improves function. One example of a function is stability, according to the statement.

***

"Milan Cirkovic, a research professor at the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade, called the study "a breeze of fresh air blowing over the difficult terrain at the trijunction of astrobiology, systems science and evolutionary theory."

"However, The Guardian reported that not everyone is quite so taken with the law, including astronomer Martin Rees, professor emeritus of cosmology and astrophysics at the University of Cambridge.

"'Given an immense amount of space and time, and the laws of physics and chemistry, an expanding variety of materials, environments and structures will emerge in the inanimate world," Rees said. "But I don’t see that this need be a manifestation of any new underlying principle analogous to the role of Darwinian selection via inheritance in the biological world.""

Comment: I'm with Rees. This might be applicable in the non-biological realm but not in the biological. Certainly, a great amount of descriptive information will appear as systems evolve, but 'functional information' is instructive and immaterial. Where did that come from???