Communicative & Integrative Biology
May 11, 2023
William B. Miller
39 citations
The paper proposes that biological order originates from an exaptation of information measurement from the abiotic realm. It posits a universal holographic relational information space-time matrix that unifies abiotic and biotic information systems, where information is a fundamental property of matter-energy interactions. The authors introduce compartmentalizing this matrix into partitions defined by Markov blankets, allowing application to both abiotic and biotic systems. Abiotic systems derive information from quantum entanglement asymmetries, which serve as precursors to the nested information fields characterizing life. Biotic measurement and biological partitioning are thus exaptations of preexisting abiotic information processes, with the key difference between abiotic and biotic states lying in the attributes of observers.
Communicative & Integrative Biology
January 1, 2016
Neil D Theise, Menas C Kafatos
23 citations
The universe is fundamentally non-material, grounded in non-dual Awareness that is not reducible to anything else. Awareness and existence are identical, making the universe a self-organizing holarchy of complementary, process-driven, recursive interactions. This framework treats information as primary over materiality, action over agency, and qualia as foundational elements rather than a hard problem. It integrates perspectives from science, philosophy, and metaphysics, reflecting Western philosophical traditions, diverse contemplative and mystical insights, and current scientific thinking expressible mathematically.
Communicative & Integrative Biology
October 24, 2022
Antoni Gandia, Andrew Adamatzky
3 citations
Psilocybin fungi, known as magic mushrooms, produce colorful and visionary states of mind and are promising for mental health applications. This work characterizes the extracellular electrical potential of two species, Psilocybe tampanensis and P. cubensis, during mycelial growth. Like other edible mushrooms, these fungi generate electric potential spikes and trains of spiking activity. This analysis offers proof of intrinsic electrical communication in psilocybin fungi and supports their use in studying fungal electrophysiology.
Communicative & Integrative Biology
January 1, 2016
Arnold De Loof
Immaterial phenomena such as thoughts, consciousness, and the soul can exist without invoking esoteric mechanisms, grounded in two well-established but undervalued physiological processes. The first is the electrical dimension of living entities, termed the 'electrome,' encompassing all ionic currents from cellular to organismal levels; irreversible loss of this electrical activity defines cell death. The second is communication via sender-receiver entities that handle information, which itself is immaterial (has no mass). Both mechanisms are essential for cellular functioning, particularly for the cognitive memory system, with ionic/electrical currents along the cytoskeleton likely playing a key but overlooked role. The paper aims to initiate a discussion platform for developing an integrating vocabulary and experimental approaches.
Communicative & Integrative Biology
November 1, 2013
Leon Freris
The author argues that materialist and reductionist explanations for the emergence of experiential qualities from inert matter are unconvincing. An alternative viewpoint is presented as more parsimonious and logically coherent. The article is a personal commentary that rearranges material from cited references, acknowledging the author's lack of formal qualifications in biology or philosophy.
Communicative & Integrative Biology
September 1, 2012
Tam Hunt
Natural selection theory faces a longstanding tautology problem—the fittest survive because they are the fittest—which can be resolved by defining fitness as expected fitness rather than actual survival. However, even corrected, natural selection should not be the sole driver of evolution. Sexual selection, which involves agency and intentional choice, deserves equal status as a twin evolutionary force alongside natural selection and purely endogenous factors like genetic drift. The essay proposes a "generalized sexual selection" grounded in panpsychism, which extends Darwin's sexual selection theory to recognize mind as pervasive throughout nature. This framework may serve as a more comprehensive general theory of evolution than natural selection alone.