Are there universal laws of life and can we find them? Is there a physics of society, of ecology, of evolution? Join us for six episodes of thought-provoking insights on the physics of life and its profound implications on our understanding of the universe. In this season of the Santa Fe Institute’s Complexity podcast’s relaunch, we talk to researchers who have been exploring these questions and more through the lens of complexity science. Subscribe now and be part of the exploration!
https://complexity.simplecast.com
episode 2: How do we identify life?
Guests:
- Ricard Solé, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, Head of the Complex Systems Lab at Universitat Pompeu Fabra
- Sara Walker, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, Associate Director of the ASU-SFI Center for Biosocial Complex Systems
Hosts: Abha Eli Phoboo & Chris Kempes
Producer: Katherine Moncure
Podcast theme music by: Mitch Mignano
Other music: Matucha, Kijjaz, Klankbeeld, Aesterial-Arts, Dijifishmusic, Greenvwbeetle, Odilon Marcenaro, Jobro, Benboncan, Bone666138, Aiwha, Josh Berry, Rubenvvuuren, and Miksmusic
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SFI programs:
- Complexity Explorer: Origins of Life
- Education
Books & Films:
- Frankenstein, directed by James Whale, based on book by Mary Shelley
- The Computer and the Brain, by John von Neumann
- Signs of life: How complexity pervades biology by Ricard V. Solé and Brian C. Goodwin
Talks:
- Liquid and Solid Brains: Mapping the Cognition Space by Ricard Solé
- Evolving Brains: Solid, Liquid and Synthetic by Ricard Solé
- A Universal Theory of Life: Math, Art & Information by Sara Walker
Papers & Articles:
- “Assembly theory explains and quantifies selection and evolution” in Nature (October 4, 2023) doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06600-9
- “Time is an object” in Aeon, May 19, 2023
- “The Algorithmic Origins of Life” in Journal of the Royal Society Interface (February 6, 2013) doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2012.0869
- “Evolution of Brains and Computers: The Roads Not Taken” in Entropy (May 9, 2022), doi.org/10.3390/e24050665
- “Unicellular–multicellular evolutionary branching driven by resource limitations” (June 2, 2022) doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2022.0018