Data isn't stored inside molecules (at least not for the purposes of this math discussion), but rather, is stored in the sequence of molecules/base pairs (A, C, G, and T) that comprise the double-helix physical structure of DNA.
"All I see here is a statistical argument with no basis in the real world. So, again, what do you think the author is trying to model?" - ThinkPlease
The author is correctly calculating the mathematical probability of useful/desired data sequencing itself in a chaotic, non-intelligent environment.
The author's math is just as applicable to the real world as it is to statistics, so long as we are discussing the sequencing of events or data in either.
So whether we are discussing the probability / improbability of a series of coins all landing with heads face up, a sentence in Shakespeare's Hamlet being generated by monkeys banging on keyboards, or sequencing the data that would distinguish amoebae DNA double-helixes from human DNA double-helixes in a (until that moment) lifeless environment, the math is perfectly valid.
So how is this meaningful data? [snip]
The author is correctly calculating the mathematical probability of useful/desired data sequencing itself in a chaotic, non-intelligent environment.
Fine. Can you or the author present me with a reference to any sort of paper/evidence that shows that this is how DNA forms in the wild?