Life requires heredity – i.e one type of information acquired as opposed to another.

This is the difference between a flame – which replicates and is metabolic (Stuart Kauffman’s def of life) and what we normally think of as living.

DNA allows for an infinitely long message i.e heredity of any potential message.

Milestones in origin of life as seen from an information perspective i.e how we transmit information between generations:

1. replicating molecules
2. chromosomes – strings replicators together so that they all reproduce at same rate i.e genes have to co-operate
3. the origin of the code translating info from one form into another e.g. nucleotides in rna coding for amino acids in proteins
4. origin of sex – accelerates evolutionary progress
5. origin of multicellular organisms – each using some but not all of info in code
6. origin of societies of individuals from ants to humans
7. language – information passed from one organism to another (infinite language poss due to grammar)
8. written language
9. electronic computers