Semiotic modelling of biological processes: an introduction to Peircean semiot ics João Queiroz a,b & Charbel El-Hani a,b a. Research Group in History, Philosophy, and Biology Teaching, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil. b. Graduate Studies Program in History, Philosophy, and Science Teaching, Federal University of Bahia/ State University of Feira de Santana, Brazil. General abstract: Here we introduce biosemiotics as a field of research that develops models of life processes focusing on their informational aspects. Peirce’s general concept of semiosis can be used to analyze such processes, and provide a powerful basis for understanding the emergence of meaning in living systems, by contributing to the construction of a theory of biological information. Peirce’s theory of sign action is introduced, and the relation between ‘information processing’ and sign processes is discussed, in fact, a semiotic definition of information is introduced. Three biosemiotic models of informational processes, at the behavioral and molecular levels, are developed, first, a model of genetic information processing in protein synthesis; second, a model of signal transduction in Bcell activation in the immune system; and, finally, a model of symbolic non-human primate communication. We also address some perspectives for the development of applied semiotic research in fields such as Artificial life, cognitive ethology, cognitive robotics, theoretical biology, and education. In this lecture, we introduce theoretical notions one must consider to face the main problems on modeling biological information processes. 1. Peircean semiotics: a very brief introduction Peirce is often considered the founder of modern semiotics. 1 Semiotics was defined by Peirce (CP 5.484) as “ the doctrine of the essential and fundamental nature of all varieties of possible semioses” . In other words, semiotics describes and analyses the structure of semiotic processes independently of their material bases, or of the conditions under which they can be observed – inside cells (cytosemiosis), among tissues and cell populations, in animal communication (zoosemiosis), or in typically human activities (production of notations, meta-representations, etc.). In other words, Peirce’s concept of semiotics concerns a theory of the sign in its most general sense. Peirce conceived general semiotics much like a formal science as mathematics is (CP 2.227). However, semiotics finds the objects of its investigation in the signs’ concrete, natural environment – and in ‘normal human experience’, or, else, in ‘ ordinary experience’ (Potter 1967: 8; CP 1.241). Semiotics is subdivided into speculative grammar, critical logic, and speculative rhetoric (CP 2.229). The first division of this science is what interests us here. Its task is that of examining the ‘sign physiology of all kinds’ (CP 2.83), that is, the concrete nature of signs as they emerge and develop, and the conditions that determine the signs’ further development, nature, and interpretation. It is the 1 Following a scholarship tradition, Peirce’s works will be referred to as CP (followed by volume and paragraph number) for quotes from The Collect ed Papers of Charles S. Peirce (Peirce, 1866-1913); EP (followed by volume and page number) for quotes from The Essent ial Peirce (Peirce, 1893-1913); MS (followed by the number of the manuscript) for quotes from The Annot at ed Cat alogue of t he Papers of Charles S. Peirce; and SS (followed by page number) for quotes from Semiot ic and Significs: The Correspondence bet ween Charles S. Peirce and Vict oria Lady Welby.