How information serves as the fundamental currency of our universe, from quantum bits to DNA and beyond
Look at your hand. Now, look at a starry night sky. On the surface, they couldn't be more different. Yet, both are governed by the same fundamental currency of the universe: information. This isn't just the data on your phone or in books; it's the ancient, foundational code that dictates how a single cell becomes a complex organism, how order emerges from chaos, and how the universe remembers its own past. Understanding "information" as a physical, quantifiable thing—not just an abstract concept—is revolutionizing everything from biology to cosmology. It is the invisible blueprint for reality itself, and we are finally learning to read it.
At its core, scientific information is about distinction and surprise. The more unexpected a message is, the more information it carries.
Pioneered by Claude Shannon , this is the information of our digital world. A bit is a simple choice: a 0 or a 1, a yes or a no. Your entire digital life—photos, messages, music—is an immense string of these binary choices.
Life's information is stored in the molecule DNA. It's a four-letter alphabet (A, T, C, G) that writes the instruction manual for building and operating every living thing. The sequence of these letters is the data; the resulting organism is the output.
This is where things get strange. A quantum bit, or qubit, can be 0, 1, or both at the same time (a state called superposition). This allows quantum computers to process information in massively parallel ways, solving problems impossible for classical computers.
The unifying theory is that information is physical. It isn't just an idea; it takes energy to create, store, and erase it. It has weight, and as theorized by Jacob Bekenstein and Stephen Hawking , it may be the most fundamental substance from which space, time, and even matter are constructed.
How did non-living matter cross the threshold to life? In 1952, a young graduate student named Stanley Miller, under his advisor Harold Urey, performed one of the most famous experiments in biology to test a simple but profound question: Could the building blocks of life have been forged in the conditions of the early Earth?
Miller designed a brilliant, closed-system apparatus to mimic what scientists then believed was Earth's early atmosphere and oceans. The setup was a series of interconnected glass flasks and tubes:
The entire apparatus was sealed and sterile, and Miller let it run continuously for a week.
Visualization of the Miller-Urey experiment apparatus
After just a few days, the water in the "ocean" flask turned a murky pink and then a deep red. Chemical analysis revealed something astonishing: the experiment had produced a rich mixture of organic compounds, the essential ingredients for life.
The scientific importance was monumental. For the first time, it demonstrated that the complex molecules necessary for life could arise spontaneously from simple, abundant ingredients and a source of energy—no divine spark or vital force was required . It provided a powerful, testable framework for the field of abiogenesis (the origin of life from non-living matter) and suggested that the universe might be primed for life.
Amino acids are the molecular building blocks of proteins, the workhorses of the cell.
| Amino Acid Detected | Role in Living Organisms |
|---|---|
| Glycine | The simplest amino acid; a fundamental component of many proteins and enzymes. |
| Alanine | Used in the biosynthesis of proteins; involved in the glucose-alanine cycle. |
| Aspartic Acid | Plays a key role in the citric acid cycle (cellular energy production) and in neurotransmitter synthesis. |
Beyond amino acids, the experiment yielded a diverse array of crucial organic molecules.
| Compound Type | Examples Produced | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Hydroxy Acids | Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid | Important metabolic intermediates and components of early biochemical pathways. |
| Urea | Urea | A key nitrogen-containing compound essential for metabolism. |
| Simple Sugars | Traces detected | The foundational energy source and structural components (like ribose in RNA). |
Decades later, with more sensitive technology, scientists re-examined Miller's original samples and found an even richer tapestry of molecules.
| Original Experiment Label | Number of Amino Acids Detected in 1953 | Number of Amino Acids Detected in 2008 | Significance of Finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Setup | 5 | 22 | The primordial soup was likely far more complex and rich with potential than initially realized. |
To recreate the steps toward life, scientists use a specific set of tools and reagents. Here are some key items from the modern origins-of-life researcher's toolkit.
Sealed glass or steel apparatus (like Miller's) that allow precise control of atmosphere, temperature, and energy inputs to mimic early planetary conditions.
Used as the starting "atmosphere" in experiments, representing the most basic chemical building blocks available on the early Earth.
Provide a solid surface with catalytic properties, thought to have concentrated organic molecules and facilitated their assembly into more complex chains like RNA.
Simulate natural energy sources like lightning, solar radiation, and geothermal heat, which provide the activation energy needed to drive chemical reactions.
An analytical technique used to separate, identify, and quantify each component in the complex mixture of molecules produced in the experiment.
The story of information is the grandest narrative of all. It begins with the first qubits of quantum data at the birth of the universe, weaves itself into the chemical letters of DNA through experiments like Miller and Urey's, and culminates (for now) in the complex cultural and digital information processed by the human brain.
Seeing the world through the lens of information doesn't diminish its wonder; it deepens it. It suggests that we, and everything around us, are part of a continuous, 13.8-billion-year-old process of cosmic computation—a universe not just made of particles and forces, but of the meaningful, enduring information they convey.