Understanding information : from the Big Bang to Big Data / edited by Alfons Josef Schuster.

Part I Introduction -- From the Tannhauser Gate to z8 GND 5296: A day trip on the life-cycle of information -- Part II The World of Large and Small Systems -- Expanding Beyond the Solar System: Current Observation and Theory -- Information in Quantum Theory -- Part III The World of Living Things -- The Potential of Plants and Seeds in DNA-based Information Storage -- Memory Processing in the Nervous System -- From Computing Machines to Learning Intelligent Machines:Chronological Development of Alan Turing's Thought on Machines -- Finite Information Agency -- Part V The World of Networks, Clouds, and Big Data Processing -- Distributed and Connected Information in the Internet -- Custom Hardware Versus Cloud Computing in Big Data -- Part VI The World of Society and Philosophy -- Information Overload in a Data-intensive World -- Causal/Informational Theories of Mental Content -- Index.

The motivation of this edited book is to generate an understanding about information, related concepts and the roles they play in the modern, technology permeated world. In order to achieve our goal, we observe how information is understood in domains, such as cosmology, physics, biology, neuroscience, computer science, artificial intelligence, the Internet, big data, information society, or philosophy. Together, these observations form an integrated view so that readers can better understand this exciting building-block of modern-day society. On the surface, information is a relatively straightforward and intuitive concept. Underneath, however, information is a relatively versatile and mysterious entity. For instance, the way a physicist looks at information is not necessarily the same way as that of a biologist, a neuroscientist, a computer scientist, or a philosopher. Actually, when it comes to information, it is common that each field has its domain specific views, motivations, interpretations, definitions, methods, technologies, and challenges. With contributions by authors from a wide range of backgrounds, Understanding Information: From the Big Bang to Big Data will appeal to readers interested in the impact of 'information' on modern- day life from a variety of perspectives.