Thermal noise and biological information

Thermal noise limits the efficiency of all information-handling systems. This principle, which is a routine consideration in electronics, is just as fundamental to the handling of highly specific information by living organisms. The rapid basal turnover rates of cells and intracellular proteins and the high energy consumption of regulatory organs, previously unaccounted for, can be explained to a large extent by the need to compensate for the steady loss of essential information due to thermal noise.