Journal :: Biosemiotics
2011
Biosemiotics, pages 1--11, 2011
Abstract Against the view that symbol-based semiosis is a human cognitive uniqueness, we have argued that non-human primates such as African vervet monkeys possess symbolic competence, as formally defined by Charles S. Peirce. Here I develop this argument by ...
Biosemiotics 4(1):5-24, 2011
Coding plays a universal and pervasive role in biological organization, in forms such as genetic coding (DNA to protein translation), RNA processing, gene regulation, protein modification, cell signalling, immune responses, epigenetic development and natural language. ...MORE ⇓
Coding plays a universal and pervasive role in biological organization, in forms such as genetic coding (DNA to protein translation), RNA processing, gene regulation, protein modification, cell signalling, immune responses, epigenetic development and natural language. Nevertheless, the ways and means by which organic codes are formed and used are still poorly understood. A formal model is presented in this paper to investigate the emergence of conventional codes among code users. The relationship between the formation and the usage of codes is discussed, and a biological mechanism involving coding is identified in the context of the immune system.