biosemiotics

Biosemiotics is an interdisciplinary field that studies sign processes, or semiosis, in living systems. It treats biological phenomena—genes, proteins, cells, organisms, and ecosystems—as interpreters and producers of signs that guide behavior, development, and evolution. Signs can be molecular messages such as DNA sequences, regulatory RNA, and neurotransmitters, as well as ecological signals such as pheromones and visual cues. Biosemiotics asks how these signs are produced, transmitted, and interpreted within and among organisms, and how sign systems contribute to life’s organization.

The theoretical frame draws on semiotics, particularly the Peircean tradition of sign, object, and interpretant, and on the concept of Umwelt from Jakob von Uexküll. In this view, semiosis is not restricted to human language but is widespread in biology: genes act as signs within genetic codes; cells interpret signals through regulatory networks; animals and plants communicate and coordinate behavior by signaling. Some scholars emphasize that sign interpretation occurs within biological agents as they respond to information in their environment, shaping development and evolution. The idea that genetic information functions like a language or code has been developed by researchers such as Marcello Barbieri and others.

History and key figures: modern biosemiotics emerged in the late 20th century with Thomas A. Sebeok and became prominent through Claus Emmeche, Kalevi Kull, and Jesper Hoffmeyer. Works such as Hoffmeyer’s writings and Favareau’s overview have helped form the field, which remains interdisciplinary, spanning biology, philosophy, linguistics, and cognitive science.

Applications and scope: biosemiotics informs studies of development, immune signaling, neural networks, plant communication, and ecological interactions. It also raises philosophical questions about the nature of meaning in life and the extent to which biology can be described in semiotic terms.