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A broader view on the limitations of information processing and communication by nature

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Abstract

Several new and broader views on computation in Nature and by Nature, and on its limitations and barriers are presented and analysed briefly. Quantum information precessing, global network information processing and cosmology-based information processing theories are seen as three extreme, but well-founded approaches to computation by Nature. It is also emphasized that a search for barriers and limitations in information processing as well as attempts to overcome their barriers or to shift limitations, can have deep impacts on science, especially if they are accompanied by a search for limitations and barriers also in communication and security. It is demonstrated that a search for barriers in communications brings a lot of interesting and deep outcomes.

Computational and communication complexity is shown to play an important role in evaluating various approaches to get through barriers that current physical theories impose. It is also argued that a search for barriers and limitations concerning feasibility in information processing and physical worlds are of equal or maybe even of larger importance than those to overcome the Church-Turing barrier and some communication barriers. It is also emphasized that relations between information processing in the real and virtual worlds, or between physical and information worlds, are likely very deep and more complex than realized. All that has even broader sense than usually realized because we are witnessing a radical shift in the main characterization of the current science in general. A shift from so called Galilean science dominated by mathematics, to the Informatics (based) science - an informatics methodology based science and technology.

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Acknowledgments

The author is much thankful to both referees of the first version of the paper for two unusually useful and stimulating reports and questions presented above. They also asked a variety of other deep and sometimes hard to respond questions.

Support of the grants GACR 201/04/1153, 201/07/0603 MSM00211622419 and VEGA 1/0172/03 is to be acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, Botanická 68a, 60200, Brno, Czech Republic

    Jozef Gruska

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  1. Jozef Gruska
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Correspondence to Jozef Gruska.

Additional information

This is an extended version of a paper (Thies et al. 2006) that appeared in the 12th International Meeting on DNA Computing, June, 2006.

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Gruska, J. A broader view on the limitations of information processing and communication by nature. Nat Comput 6, 75–112 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11047-006-9016-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11047-006-9016-6

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