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case today with the virus, there is first a hypercycle between nucleotide genome and poly­

merase. Then soon (about 2.8 billion years ago) the first prokaryotic organisms form, the

typical bacterium then already has the three classical “language levels” of DNA →

RNA → protein. Incidentally, we can only use the protein sequences to bioinformatically

identify the last common ancestor of all life (LCA), which lived about 2.5 billion years

ago. The earlier alternative forms are no longer preserved as sequences.

In the eukaryotic unicellular organism (about 2 billion years ago; at least brewer’s yeast,

baker’s yeast and our ancestors separated in different directions at that time), everything is

already considerably more complex (see Chap. 10). DNA is translated according to different

codes. But also the RNA code is now already quite complexly divided into different lan­

guage levels (precursor, splicing, export, translation, localization, stability). Proteins, too, are

now already quite complexly coded and regulated (translation, modification, stability).

In multicellular organisms, we then already have a very high number of language levels,

first of all, all those from the previous step within the cell. Then there are various external cell

codes for communication with other cells (sugar, lipid codes). From this, tissues are formed,

which then again establish new language levels and codes (tissue codes, locomotor system,

immune, nervous, circulatory, digestive system) and finally together form an organism.

Evolutionary View of the Language Levels of Living Systems

Virus

• Nucleotide genome ↔ polymerase.

Bacteria

• DNA → RNA → Protein

Eukaryotic protozoa

• DNA → RNA (precursor, splicing, export, translation, localization, stability)

→ Protein (translation, modification, stability)

Multicellular

• Cell (sugar, lipid codes) →

Tissue (tissue codes, musculoskeletal, immune, nervous,

circulatory, digestive system)

→ Organism

Social community

• Cell (sugar, lipid codes) →

Tissue (tissue codes, musculoskeletal, immune, nervous,

circulatory, digestive system)

→ Organism (innate triggering mechanisms, body language, gestures, spoken lan­

guages, etc.)

13.2  New Molecular, Cellular and Intercellular Levels and Types of Language Are…