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!
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episode 16: Andy Dobson on Disease Ecology & Conservation Strategy
Physics usually gets the credit for grand unifying theories and the search for universal laws…but looking past the arbitrary boundaries between the sciences, it’s just as true that ecological research reveals deep patterns in the energy and information structures of our cosmos. There are profound analogies to draw from how evolving living systems organize themselves. And at the intersection of biology and physics, epidemiology and economics, new strategies for conservation and development emerge to guide us through the needle’s eye, away from global poverty and ecological catastrophe and toward a healthier and wealthier tomorrow…
This week’s guest is SFI External Professor Andy Dobson of Princeton University, whose work focuses on food webs, parasites, and infectious diseases to help us understand and better manage the complexities of climate change and urban growth, human-wildlife interactions, and the spread of pathogens. In this episode we talk about how network structures can inhibit or accelerate disease transmission, the link between biodiversity and economic growth, and how complex systems thinking leads to better wildlife conservation.
For transcripts, show notes, research links, and more, please visit complexity.simplecast.com.
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