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active information

weasel
Photo: METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL, by loren chapman, via Flickr (cropped).

Conservation of Information — The Theorems

We’ve seen active information before in the Dawkins Weasel example. The baseline search for METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL stands no hope of success. Read More ›
Lenski's_12_long-term_lines_of_E._coli_on_25_June_2008

New Papers Explore the Utility of Active Information

William Dembski and Robert J. Marks developed the concept of active information to measure the extent to which a search function appears pre-programmed to find some target. Read More ›
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Photo: A leafy sea dragon, by Sylke Rohrlach from Sydney [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Robert Marks on Evolution and Creativity

In our culture, crossing a range of thought disciplines, one views says that AI, entrepreneurship, and evolution can dispense with creativity. The algorithm is all! Read More ›
Zero Magic

The Law of Zero Magic

The mystique of evolutionism is the idea that natural selection explains everything. In fact, natural selection itself explains nothing. Read More ›
David Baker

On Protein Design, Don’t Be Fooled by Biochemist David Baker’s Claim

If designing proteins is difficult for us, it is great big wall for random bumbly evolution. Read More ›
bee-and-flower

For Beleaguered Computer Simulations of Evolution, Can Co-Evolution Save the Day?

A familiar illustration of co-evolution is the relationship between honey bees and flowers. Read More ›
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Bill With American Dollars On Table
Image Credit: Andrey Popov - Adobe Stock

William Dembski and Robert Marks Publish (Another) Peer-Reviewed Scientific Paper Supporting No Free Lunch Theorems

A peer-reviewed scientific paper published in 2010 by William Dembski and Robert Marks of the Evolutionary Informatics Lab supports no free lunch theorems. Published in Journal of Advanced Computational Intelligence and Intelligent Informatics and titled “The Search for a Search: Measuring the Information Cost of Higher Level Search,” the paper’s abstract states that unless one has information about a target, search engines often fail: “Needle-in-the-haystack problems look for small targets in large spaces. In such cases, blind search stands no hope of success.” Their principle of Conservation of Information holds that “any search technique will work, on average, as well as blind search.” However, in such a case “[s]uccess requires an assisted search. But whence the assistance required for a Read More ›

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In Silico Drug Modeling with 3D Molecule Visualisation on Computer Screen Close up of Scientist s Hands Manipulating Complex Molecule Model with Background of Floating Graphs and Chemical Data
Image Credit: Intelligent Horizons - Adobe Stock

Winston Ewert, William Dembski, and Robert Marks Publish Mainstream Scientific Paper Exposing Flaws in Avida Evolution Simulation

Darwinian evolution has no prior knowledge about the search target, but Avida's programmers have intelligently designed Avida by smuggling in "active information." Read More ›
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Colorful file folders and books on shelves in office
Image Credit: afif - Adobe Stock

William Dembski and Robert Marks Publish Mainstream Scientific Paper on Conservation of Information

Is there a "magic bullet" mechanism by which blind and unguided search engines can find rare, isolated targets? Read More ›

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