This is is the first uniform description of all key levels of communication in the organismic kingdoms of plants, fungi, animals and bacteria based on the most recent empirical data. Biocommunication occurs on three levels (A) intraorganismic, i.e. intra- and intercellular, (B) interorganismic, between the same or related species and (C) transorganismic, between organisms which are not related. The biocommunicative approach demonstrates both that cells, tissues, organs and organisms coordinate and organize by communication processes and genetic nucleotide sequence order in cellular and non-cellular genomes is structured language-like, i.e. follow combinatorial (syntactic), context-sensitive (pragmatic) and content-specific (semantic) rules. Without sign-mediated interactions no vital functions within and between organisms can be coordinated. Exactly this feature is absent in non-living matter.


Additionally the biocommunicative approach investigates natural genome editing competences of viruses. Natural genome editing from a biocommunicative perspective is competent agent-driven generation and integration of meaningful nucleotide sequences into pre-existing genomic content arrangements and the ability to (re)combine and (re)regulate them according to context-dependent (i.e. adaptational) purposes of the host organism. The biocommunicative approach is an original scientific field of investigations. Readers must be competent in basic knowledge of biology and genetics.

"This provocative and exciting book opens new avenues to understand the communicative nature of diverse living systems and their evolution on the planet Earth".
Frantisek Baluska, University of Bonn, Germany

"Guenther Witzany, an expert in biocommunication, uses linguistics and communication science to provide a novel framework for the discussion of naturally occurring genome editing".
Peter Gogarten, Dept. of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA

"At last a systematic and updated account of the living in terms of communicative processes!”
Gertrudis Van de Vijver, Centre for Critical Philosophy, University of Ghent, Belgium

"The concepts from biocommunication have seldom impacted code-thinking in the biological sciences. Is book will significantly expand our understanding of how codes can be edited or evolved."
Luis P. Villarreal, Director Center for Virus Research, University of California, Irvine, USA


Günther Witzany
Biocommunication and Natural Genome Editing
Springer Verlag
ISBN 978-90-481-3318-5
Order Information >