“How the Universe stores information” – Robin Sloan
“Two dashed hopes that seem to rhyme:
The hope that, in human DNA, one gene would correspond to one developmental feature: “size of nose”, “propensity for prostate cancer”: a vast bank of biological switches.
The hope that, in neural networks, one weight would correspond to one informational feature: “Python function”, “malevolent plan”: a perfect intellectual X-ray.
The mapping of the human genome had less of an impact on the world than a person might have predicted back around 2000, because tracing the connection between base pairs and big noses turned out to be — turns out to be — much more difficult than anyone expected”
https://www.robinsloan.com/lab/how-the-universe-stores-information/