Is Functional Information Functional?

[T_aquaticus]

@colewd

As to whether Rum changed his position that is up in the air as his position may have changed and his explanation does not account for the origin of the 500 bits.

In my experience, those 500 bits are due to accumulation of single mutations over time. I don’t see why evolution couldn’t do that.

Here is an interesting exchange I had with gpuccio in a different thread:

T_aquaticus: From my understanding, the FI calculation for ubiquitin includes all of the sequence variation seen in different species. Is that correct?

If we take all of that variation away and look at just pre-ubiquitin, a single mutation, and functional ubiquitin, what would the FI measurement be?

gpuccio: The change in FI would be about 4.3 bits, at most, if I understand well what you are asking.
Comments on Gpuccio: Functional Information Methodology

This was rather enlightening. If gpuccio went back in time and saw the first ubiquitin protein come about through a single substitution mutation he would calculate that as a 4.3 bit change in information. Not 500. 4.3.