If we want to understand the role of information in Nature, particularly in the biological world, we must find an appropriate definition of this omnipresent and seemingly trivial concept &endash; a definition that is objective and independent of human actions and human-generated devices. Conventional information theory works mainly with computers and technological communications systems; in general it considers two types of information: Shannon's "statistical or semantic information" represented by statements that describe the outcome of expected alternatives in the behavior of a system, and "algorithmic in-formation", defined as the minimum-bit statement that describes a given thing. In recent times physicists, geneticists and cyberneticians have been interested in the existence and meaning of "information" as a concept that is unrelated to human communication, and that is not based on any formula. This is not a trivial matter. Information is not like mass or energy: you cannot tell by looking at a molecule or at a slice of brain tissue whether it has it or not &endash; as yet there is no "information dynamics" comparable to the dynamics of matter.

I have been trying to accomplish the "de-humanization" of the concept of information by turning to the process of "interaction" as the fundamental starting point. I will formu-late the necessary basic formal definitions, examine the various classes of "information-based" interactions, and identify the two, and only two, distinct types of natural (not man-made) information: biomolecular information linked to Darwinian evolution and neural information linked to perception. Several examples will be discussed. I will also repeat some points made in an earlier Journal Club presentation positing that in the inanimate world information plays no role whatsoever &endash; until a human being puts it there through an information-based interaction.