On information theory stumbling-blocks: some biological considerations about the concepts of ‘sequence’, ‘stability’ and ‘hierarchy'

The conceptual assumptions which usually accompany information theory, such us the concepts ‘sequence’ (the positional order of symbols), ‘stability’ (the disregard for any production-degradation processes), and ‘hierarchy’ (the ordered interlocking of complexity levels), may have represented a factual cul-de-sac concerning the theoretical understanding of bioinformational phenomena. Nevertheless, recent biomolecular developments on cellular communication and turnover dynamics (particularly the interconnection between protein synthesis, protein degradation, and the phenomenon of apoptosis), and in general the coupling between structural and communicational dynamics in organisms, may be opening new theoretical paths. In this sense, it is suggested here that the alternative concepts of ‘composition’, ‘criticality’, and ‘relevance’ provide interesting cues on how to enlarge the classic information paradigm. Overcoming the present narrowness of Shannon and Boltzmann information theory appears to be a fundamental challenge for the Foundations of Information Science (FIS) enterprise.