COMPLEXITY: Physics of Life Santa Fe Institute
-
- Science
-
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!
-
Multiple worlds, containing multitudes
In the final episode of this season, we hear from a NASA researcher whose expertise spans from studying samples in deep, untouched regions of our planet all the way to organic chemistry happening in space. We consider the possibility of other, past origins of life on Earth and look at the rich potential to learn from sample return missions, including the recent OSIRIS-REx mission that retrieved samples of the asteroid Bennu. Abha also sits down with Chris to hear his perspective on the podcast as a researcher who's collaborated with this season's guests on diverse research.
-
How human history shapes scientific inquiry
In this episode, we examine how the course of human history has shaped our scientific knowledge, why the physics community prioritizes some questions over others, and why progress in complex systems research is especially difficult. Academia continues to operate within set boundaries and students are taught certain concepts as fundamental and to skirt others completely. However, the history of science demonstrates that such concepts aren’t always set in stone. It’s possible that blowing open the “shackles of reality,” such as redefining the concept of life itself, and reprioritizing the problems that scientists want to tackle, might help scientists make more progress in this very difficult world of complexity research.
-
Ep 4: The physics of collectives
How do groups solve problems? Are there conditions that create a pathway to innovation and groundbreaking inventions? In today’s episode, we look at the science of collectives to learn about the patterns that emerge as human societies grow, the importance of a collective structure to foster ideas and create impact, and – from collectives like ants and immune systems – the importance of veering off the beaten path to become better at exploring and discovering.
-
Why is life so diverse?
In the first two episodes of this season, we’ve examined how fundamental rules like scaling laws constrain evolution for all forms of life. But if everything is bound to these core rules, then why do we see exceptions? In this episode, Abha and Chris get into the incredible diversity of plants and animals on this planet, where that diversity comes from, and if it’s possible to make forecasts about the biosphere, just like we do for the weather. And, what happens when biodiversity is threatened?
-
How do we identify life?
In this episode, Chris and Abha explore how life originated here on earth and how we might identify it in other parts of the universe. They ask two researchers about the signature characteristics of life and what common dynamics we might see among organisms outside our planet. They’ll also delve into assembly theory, a recent concept that looks at the construction of objects as a way to universally quantify life, which has ignited debate within the scientific community.
-
What can physics tell us about ourselves?
Humans can live up to age 100, and not 1000 – why? Are there limits in how much our brains can think and compute? The laws of physics can help explain a lot, both about our own human bodies and how we are connected to life all around us.
Customer Reviews
The best
I love this podcast and always look forward to listening.
Science amazing, production a bit overdone
The new reboot of Complexity podcast is very different. It has all the science I love, and “high” production values (sound effects and scoring) and “best” practices (male-female voice alternations, etc.). But somehow it feels a bit overproduced, overwritten, over-rehearsed, flatly delivered. I am probably not its target audience (longtime listener, academic professor in adjacent science areas). It seems aimed at a more popular accessible level, which is great - donors for instance, not least! Even for that purpose, I wonder if it could gain some ineffable sparkle from being read standing up in a room with “audience” even just >3 humans, maybe one or more from its target audience? This is an intimate medium and a subtle flatness can be unfortunately important. The text occasionally veers from clear top-level plain-speak statements (almost tropes
Not very good
Simply atrocious, misleading content