A possible information entropic law of genetic mutations

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Abstract

The current scientific consensus is that genetic mutations are random processes. According to the Darwinian theory of evolution, only natural selection determines which mutations are beneficial in the course of evolution, and there is no deterministic correlation between any parameter and the probability that these mutations will occur or not. Here we investigate RNA genetic sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 virus using Shannon’s information theory and we report a previously unobserved relationship between the information entropy of genomes and their mutation dynamics. Based on the analysis presented here we are able to formulate a governing law of genetic mutations, stating that genomes undergo genetic mutations over time driven by a tendency to reduce their overall information entropy, challenging the existing Darwinian paradigm.
Original languageEnglish
Article number6912
Number of pages8
JournalApplied Sciences (Switzerland)
Volume12
Issue number14
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Jul 2022

Keywords

  • entropy of information
  • information theory
  • genetic mutations
  • law of genetic mutations

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