FIGURE 2.1. Distribution of the not/and (NAND) function in 300-line Avida genomes in a randomly generated sample of 107 genomes.

FIGURE 2.1Distribution of the not/and (NAND) function in 300-line Avida genomes in a randomly generated sample of 107 genomes

The degree of function, E, is the number of times NAND is executed by the genome, whereas functional information, I (in bits), is −log2 of the fraction of all sequences that achieves at least that degree of function, F(E). Note the discontinuities, which are a recurrent feature in these experiments.

From: 2, Functional Information and the Emergence of Biocomplexity

Cover of In the Light of Evolution
In the Light of Evolution: Volume I: Adaptation and Complex Design.
National Academy of Sciences; Avise JC, Ayala FJ, editors.
Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2007.
Copyright © 2007, National Academies of Sciences.

NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.