Is Free Will an Illusion? What Can Cognitive Science Tell Us? Santa Fe Institute 2024-10-22 | Is Free Will an Illusion? What Can Cognitive Science Tell Us?
SARS-CoV-2 Infection Tracing Efficiency in Denmark Before Vaccine Impacts Santa Fe Institute 2024-05-02 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Origin of Biological Information in a Bottom Up Physicochemical Protocell Santa Fe Institute 2024-04-24 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Generative Epistemics and Aesthetics Santa Fe Institute 2024-04-19 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Animals in Translation: A Conversation Santa Fe Institute 2024-04-18 | Diana Reiss, Hunter College, Interspecies InternetDavid Krakauer, SFILearn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Ep 6. Multiple worlds, containing multitudes Santa Fe Institute 2024-04-10 | 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.Guests: Heather Graham, Research Associate at NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterHosts: Abha Eli Phoboo & Chris KempesProducer: Katherine MoncurePodcast theme music by: Mitch MignanoAdditional sound credits: Digifish music; “Determination of Azimuth,” written by Heather Graham, staged at the Baltimore Rock Opera SocietyFollow us on:Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • BlueskyMore info:Apply for the 2024 Complexity Global School at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia: https://www.santafe.edu/info/2024-complexity-global-school/overviewSFI programs: EducationComplexity Explorer: Origins of Life: Introduction| Chris Kempes (Link to full playlist)Enroll for the course: Origins of Life Videos:Asteroids, Agnostic Biosignatures, & Experimental Rock Opera with Dr. Heather GrahamHeather Graham on Katherine JohnsonPapers & Articles:“Investigating the impact of x‐ray computed tomography imaging on soluble organic matter in the Murchison meteorite: Implications for Bennu sample analyses” in Meteoritics & Planetary Science (December 2023), doi.org/10.1111/maps.14111“The Vacant Niche Revisited: Using Negative Results to Refine the Limits of Habitability,” in bioRxiv (Nov 8, 2023), doi.org/10.1101/2023.11.06.565904“Observations of Elemental Composition of Enceladus Consistent with Generalized Models of Theoretical Ecosystems,” in bioRxiv (Oct 29, 2023), doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.29.564608“Planetary Subsurface Science and Exploration: An Integrated Consortium to Understand Subsurface Sources of Energy and the Unique Energetics of Subsurface Life,” in Mars Extant Life: What’s Next? (Nov 2019), hou.usra.edu/meetings/lifeonmars2019/pdf/5047.pdf“Detecting life on Earth and the limits of analogy,” in Planetary Astrobiology (June 16, 2020)“Identifying molecules as biosignatures with assembly theory and mass spectrometry,” in chemRxiv (Nov 16, 202), chemrxiv.org/engage/api-gateway/chemrxiv/assets/orp/resource/item/60c751e59abda27c1af8dce4/original/identifying-molecules-as-biosignatures-with-assembly-theory-and-mass-spectrometry.pdf“The Grayness of the Origin of Life,” in Life (May 29, 2021) doi.org/10.3390/life11060498“Generalized stoichiometry and biogeochemistry for astrobiological applications,” in Bulletin of Mathematical Biology (July 2021), link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11538-021-00877-5
Comrades, Lets Optimize! The Surprising Rebirth of the Planned Economy Santa Fe Institute 2024-04-10 | Henry Farrell, Johns Hopkins University Francis Spufford, Author When Francis Spufford wrote Red Plenty, his celebrated novel about Soviet economic planning, he couldn't have anticipated the reaction. Some saw it as a parable of the problems of capitalism after the financial crisis, others as an elegant demonstration in fictional form that capitalism never had any real alternative. Still others read it as a license to revive the dream of the planned economy. Were the vast economic apparatuses of Amazon and Walmart actually a blueprint for how to do socialism at scale? Now, as Silicon Valley tries to rebuild the economy around optimizing algorithms and AGI, old debates over markets and planning are opening up again. In this conversation, Henry Farrell interviews Spufford about the old dream of socialist optimization and the new debates that have arisen since. Francis Spufford will be signing copies of Red Plenty, and his most recently published novel, Cahokia Jazz, in the Lensic lobby starting at 6:30 pm. David Krakauer will introduce this first event of SFI's 2024 Community Lecture Series. Henry Farrell is SNF Agora Institute Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and 2019 winner of the Friedrich Schiedel Prize for Politics and Technology. He works on a variety of topics, including democracy, the politics of the Internet and international and comparative political economy. He has written articles and book chapters as well as three books, The Political Economy of Trust: Interests, Institutions and Inter-Firm Cooperation, published by Cambridge University Press, and (with Abraham Newman) Of Privacy and Power: The Transatlantic Fight over Freedom and Security, published by Princeton University Press, and Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy (with Abraham Newman), forthcoming from Henry Holt (US) and Penguin (UK). Francis Spufford FRSL (born 1964) is an English author and teacher of writing whose career has seen him shift gradually from non-fiction to fiction. His first novel Golden Hill received critical acclaim and numerous prizes including the Costa Book Award for a first novel, the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Ondaatje Prize. In 2007 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts: https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Fungi, Forests, Group Selection (and Us?) Santa Fe Institute 2024-03-30 | John Harte, University of California, Berkeley, SFIMutualism and competition are simultaneously at play at many levels of organization in ecosystems, from pairs of individuals within a species, to much higher levels of organization such as between plants and soil microorganisms. Quite generally, this implies tradeoffs and the existence of optimal resource allocations. The carbon and nitrogen cycles in plant-microbe communities provide a classic example in which that optimization can be explored with relatively well-validated models. These yield an optimal outcome for nitrogen allocation between microbes and plants, and this theoretical outcome appears, empirically, to be where nature sits. How might this have evolved? Kin selection is inapplicable, and more generally, from a selfish gene perspective this outcome is impossible. I show, however, that group selection in a patchy environment provides an evolutionary mechanism for attaining this seemingly (but not really) altruistic outcome. Mutualism and competition are ubiquitous in human society, so what are the societal implications of these findings? I discuss some examples and sketch an agenda for further analysis.Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Ep 5. How human history shapes scientific inquiry Santa Fe Institute 2024-03-27 | 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.Guests: David Krakauer, President and William H. Miller Professor of Complex Systems at the Santa Fe InstituteSean Carroll, External Professor and Fractal Faculty at the Santa Fe Institute, Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins UniversityHosts: Abha Eli Phoboo & Chris KempesProducer: Katherine MoncurePodcast theme music by: Mitch MignanoAdditional sound credits: Digifishmusic, Trundlefly, Greenvwbeetle, Miksmusic, BrewlabboffinFollow us on:Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • BlueskySFI programs: EducationComplexity Explorer: Origins of Life: The Multiple Origins of Life - Part 1 | David KrakauerOrigins of Life: The Multiple Origins of Life - Part 2 | David KrakauerOrigins of Life: The Multiple Origins of Life - Part 3 | David KrakauerOrigins of Life: The Multiple Origins of Life - Part 4 | David KrakauerComplexity Explorer Lecture: David Krakauer • What is Complexity?Books: Disputed Inheritance: The Battle over Mendel and the Future of Biology by Gregory Radick Quanta and Fields: The Biggest Ideas in the Universe by Sean CarrollWorlds Hidden in Plain Sight: The Evolving Idea of Complexity at the Santa Fe Institute, 1984-2019 Edited by David KrakauerTalks: The Many Worlds of Quantum Mechanics Sean CarrollPapers & Articles:“The Multiple Paths to Multiple Life,” in Journal of Molecular Evolution (July 12, 2021), doi.org/10.1007/s00239-021-10016-2
Encomienda, the Colonial State, and Long-Run Development in Colombia Santa Fe Institute 2024-03-21 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
An Invitation to Play in A Social Experiment Sandbox: 3 Days | 3000 People | 80 Countries | Rules... Santa Fe Institute 2024-03-20 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Arbitrage Equilibrium and the Invisible Hand in the Self-organizing Dynamics of Ants, Birds, and Peo Santa Fe Institute 2024-03-14 | Venkat Venkatasubramanian, Columbia UniversityOne might wonder what economic concepts like arbitrage and the invisible hand are doing in the dynamics of biological and ecological systems. As it turns out, plenty! The physics of active matter, such as ant colonies and bird flocks, exhibiting interesting self-organizing dynamical behavior has gained considerable importance in recent years. Recent theoretical advances use techniques from hydrodynamics, kinetic theory, and non-equilibrium statistical physics. However, for biological agents, these don t seem to recognize explicitly their critical feature, namely, the role of survival-driven purpose and the attendant pursuit of maximum utility. In this talk, I will present a novel game-theoretic framework, called statistical teleodynamics, that accounts for this feature explicitly and shows how it can be integrated with conventional statistical mechanics to develop a unified theory of arbitrage equilibrium in active matter. The theory proposes a spectrum of self-actualizing capabilities, going from none to completely strategic decision-making, and envisions the various examples of active matter systems occupying someplace in this spectrum. I will show how statistical teleodynamics reduces to familiar results in statistical mechanics in the limit of zero self-actualization. At the other extreme, in an economic setting, it provides novel insights into the emergence of income distributions and their fairness in an ideal free-market society. As examples of agents in between these limits, I will discuss how the theory predicts pattern formation in mussel beds, the emergence of ant craters, and the flocking of birds. Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Ep 4. The physics of collectives Santa Fe Institute 2024-03-13 | Are there conditions that create a pathway to innovation and groundbreaking inventions? How do groups solve problems? 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. Guests: Melanie Moses, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, Professor of Computer Science and Associate Professor of Biology at University of New MexicoHyejin Youn, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, Associate Professor at Institute of Northwestern UniversityHosts: Abha Eli Phoboo & Chris KempesProducer: Katherine MoncurePodcast theme music by: Mitch MignanoFollow us on:Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • BlueskyMore info:SFI programs: EducationComplexity Explorer: Fractals and Scaling Fractals and Scaling: Toward a Theory of Urban ScalingIntroduction to Complexity: Ant Foraging and Task AllocationBooks: Scale by Geoffrey WestComplexity: a Guided Tour by Melanie MitchellTalks: Toward a Scientific Theory of Cities by Hyejin YounPapers & Articles:“Synergy in ant foraging strategies: memory and communication alone and in combination,” in GECCO’13: Proceedings of the 15th annual conference on Genetic and evolutionary computation (July 6, 2013), doi.org/10.1145/2463372.2463389“In vivo, in silico, in machina: Ants and Robots balance memory and communication to collectively exploit information,” in Proceedings of the European Conference on Complex Systems 2012“What makes individual I’s a Collective We; coordination mechanisms & costs” in arXiv (November 20, 2023), doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2306.02113“How does innovation push its boundaries?” in 43 Visions for Complexity, Exploring Complexity: Volume 3 (January 2017), doi.org/10.1142/9789813206854_0043
Seeing Others: How Recognition Works and How it Helps Heal a Divided World Santa Fe Institute 2024-03-13 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
The Causes and Limits of Lifespan Extension - July 2022 Santa Fe Institute 2024-03-07 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Bigger Data About Smaller People: Studying Language Learning at Scale Santa Fe Institute 2024-03-06 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
A Recommender Network Perspective on the Informational Value of Critics and Crowds Santa Fe Institute 2024-02-29 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Ep 3. Why is life so diverse? Santa Fe Institute 2024-02-28 | 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?Guests: Brian Enquist, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at University of ArizonaPablo Marquet, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, Professor at Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileHosts: Abha Eli Phoboo & Chris KempesProducer: Katherine MoncurePodcast theme music by: Mitch MignanoOther music: Craig Smith, Justkiddink, MaestroALF, ComputerHotline, James Ro Davidson, SoundEnsemble, Trundlefly, Geoff Bremner, Newagesgroup, Oddmonoliths, TheplaFollow us on:Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • BlueskyMore info:SFI programs: EducationComplexity Explorer: Origins of Life: Astrobiology & General Theories for Life - Scaling with Pablo MarquetBooks: Scale by Geoffrey WestScaling Biodiversity (Ecological Reviews) edited by David Storch, Pablo Marquet , James Brown How Landscapes Change: Human Disturbance and Ecosystem Fragmentation in the Americas (Ecological Studies Book 162) edited by Gay A. Bradshaw and Pablo A. Marquet Talks: Better Forecasting our Ecological Future: Taming Big Data with Big Theory, Brian EnquistPapers & Articles:“More than 17,000 tree species are at risk from rapid global change,” in Nature Communications (January 2, 2024), doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44321-9“Metastatic cells exploit their stoichiometric niche in the network of cancer ecosystems,” in Science Advances (December 13, 2023), doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adi79“Environmental heterogeneity as a driver of terrestrial biodiversity on a global scale” in PPG: Earth and Environment (August 11, 2023), doi.org/10.1177/03091333231189045“The number of tree species on Earth,” PNAS (Jan 31, 2022), doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2115329119“Globally important plant functional traits for coping with climate change,” in Frontiers of Biogeography (October 2, 2021), doi.org/10.21425/F5FBG53774 “Scaling from Traits to Ecosystems: Developing a General Trait Driver Theory via Integrating Trait-Based and Metabolic Scaling Theories,” Advances in Ecological Research (May 4, 2015), doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2015.02.001“A general quantitative theory of forest structure and dynamics,” PNAS (April 28, 2009), doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0812294106
Minimal End-to-end Thermodynamic Costs of Communication Channels Santa Fe Institute 2024-02-28 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Santa Fe Institute Emergent Political Economies 2024 Santa Fe Institute 2024-02-27 | Some of the biggest challenges of society, epidemics trying to control the carbon going into the atmosphere. Riots and revolutions all involve complexity. So if we really want to try and understand what's going on and also predict what's going on, and hopefully, ultimately control it in a positive direction, we're gonna need to have a better understanding of how complex adaptive social systems work.Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Ranking-based Social Influence Produces Lock-in Santa Fe Institute 2024-02-27 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Overshooting Climate Targets - Increased risks for tipping elements in climate and the biosphere Santa Fe Institute 2024-02-22 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Rationality for Mortals Santa Fe Institute 2024-02-21 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Early Warning Signals for Dynamics on Networks Santa Fe Institute 2024-02-20 | Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Ep 2. How do we identify life? Santa Fe Institute 2024-02-14 | 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.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 SystemsHosts: Abha Eli Phoboo & Chris KempesProducer: Katherine MoncurePodcast theme music by: Mitch MignanoOther music: Matucha, Kijjaz, Klankbeeld, Aesterial-Arts, Dijifishmusic, Greenvwbeetle, Odilon Marcenaro, Jobro, Benboncan, Bone666138, Aiwha, Josh Berry, Rubenvvuuren, and MiksmusicFollow us on:Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • BlueskySFI programs: Complexity Explorer: Origins of LifeEducationBooks & Films: Frankenstein, directed by James Whale, based on book by Mary ShelleyThe Computer and the Brain, by John von NeumannSigns of life: How complexity pervades biology by Ricard V. Solé and Brian C. GoodwinTalks: Liquid and Solid Brains: Mapping the Cognition Space by Ricard SoléEvolving Brains: Solid, Liquid and Synthetic by Ricard SoléA Universal Theory of Life: Math, Art & Information by Sara WalkerPapers & 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
Nonlinear Dynamics of Beliefs over Social Networks Santa Fe Institute 2024-02-08 | Anastasia Bizyaeva, AI Institute in Dynamic Systems at the University of Washington, SeattleMotivated by the study of complex social behavior, we introduce a nonlinear dynamic model of belief formation dynamics. According to our model, belief updates of individuals are informed by the complex interplay of external factors, i.e. social network effects, and internal factors, i.e. internal biases, networked relationships between an individual's belief representations, and nonlinear processing of social information. We rigorously show how groups overcome deadlock to form strong beliefs when it is urgent to do so, how the structure of social relationships and of the underlying belief system shapes social decisions in the group, and how group-level beliefs can be highly sensitive to the personal biases of a small number of individuals. This work provides novel insights into the dynamics of complex social systems in nature and society and motivates a new approach for the design of distributed behavior in engineered networks of social agents.Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Ep 1. What can physics tell us about ourselves? Santa Fe Institute 2024-01-31 | 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.Guests: Vijay Balasubramanian, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, Cathy and Marc Lasry Professor of Physics at the University of Pennsylvania Geoffrey West, Shannan Distinguished Professor and Past President, Santa Fe Institute Hosts: Abha Eli Phoboo & Chris KempesProducer: Katherine MoncurePodcast theme music: Mitch MignanoOther Music: Blue Dot Sessions, Pink House Music, Eardeer, and Craig Smith.You can listen to us on Simplecast - Spotify, Apple, Google Podcast, Pocketcast, Overcast and Youtube. Follow us on:Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • BlueskySFI programs: Complexity Global School Complexity Explorer: Fractals & Scaling EducationBooks & Stories: Tell Me Why by Arkady Leokum Scale by Geoffrey West“Funes, the Memorious” by Jorge Luis BorgesTalks: How the Brain Makes You: Collective Intelligence and Computation by Neural Circuits by Vijay BalasubramanianThe Future of the Planet: Life, Growth and Death in Organisms, Cities and Companies by Geoffrey WestEnergy, Scaling & The Future of Life on Earth by Geoffrey WestComplex Time Working Group: “What is Sleep?” with Geoffrey West, Van Savage, Alex HermanPapers: “Brain Power” in PNAS (August 2, 2021) doi.org/10.1073/pnas.210702211“The Physical Effects of Learning” preprint published in biorxiv“Unraveling why we sleep: Quantitative analysis reveals abrupt transition from neural reorganization to repair in early development” in Science Advances (September 18, 2020) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba0398“The Scales That Limit: The Physical Boundaries of Evolution” in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (August 7, 2019) doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00242Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Complexity Podcast - Trailer Santa Fe Institute 2024-01-29 | Physics of Life seasonAre there universal laws of life and can we find them? Is there a physics of society, of ecology, of evolution? Join us for thought-provoking insights on the physics of life and its profound implications on our understanding of the universe. In this first 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. The first of six episodes launches on January 31. Subscribe now and be part of the exploration!Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our other podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
What triggered the Cambrian Explosion? Santa Fe Institute 2024-01-11 | Rachel Wood, University of Edinburgh, UKThe Cambrian Explosion, 540-520 million years ago marks the appearance and rise of animals on Earth. During this time we saw the rapid emergence of all major modern groups, modern-style food webs, as well as a substantial rise of animal abundance and biodiversity. This talk will be explore the processes that may have driven this revolutionary event. Were both internal (genetic) or external (physicochemical) processes important? This radiation took place on a totally different Earth with many continental land masses clustering around the tropics, no polar ice caps, and much lower atmospheric oxygen levels compared to today. Life had not colonised land and the modern carbon cycle was yet to form. While we are starting to understand how new forms of developmental gene regulatory networks, pulses of oxygenation, and ecological feedbacks played key roles, unpicking the drivers of the Cambrian Explosion remain a profound puzzle in the history of life.Learn more, follow us on social media and check out our podcasts:https://linktr.ee/sfiscience
Governing the Ungovernable: Nuclear waste management through consent-based siting Santa Fe Institute 2023-11-29 | Jennifer Richter, Arizona State UniversityThe U.S. government is currently focused on creating a new process for siting nuclear waste repositories, called "consent-based siting" (CBS). However, nuclear waste from both commercial and military applications continues to stymie any policies meant to address radioactive materials. This discussion will touch on the nuclear past, present, and (far) futures of nuclear waste policy in the U.S., using environmental and intergenerational justice as a focal point for engaging myriad publics, from scientists and engineers to the communities who may host nuclear waste facilities, as well as those in the future who will be tasked with safeguarding these materials for thousands of years. While CBS presents a novel approach for the U.S., critical questions remain regarding addressing past injustices, as well as future governance processes for all nuclear projects.Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
The Future of Artificial Intelligence Santa Fe Institute 2023-11-16 | Melanie Mitchell Santa Fe Institute AI is all around us recognizing our faces in photos, transcribing our speech, constructing our news feeds, navigating our driving routes, answering our search queries, and much more. But rapidly improving AI is poised to play a much bigger role in all of our lives. In this lecture, AI expert Melanie Mitchell will demystify how current-day AI works, how "intelligent" it really is, and what our expectations---and concerns---about its near-term and long-term prospects should be. Learn more at https://santafe.edu Follow us on social media: twitter.com/sfiscience instagram.com/sfiscience facebook.com/santafeinstitute facebook.com/groups/santafeinstitute linkedin.com/company/santafeinstitute Subscribe to SFI's official podcasts: complexity.simplecast.com aliencrashsite.org
What Makes the Past Different from the Future? Santa Fe Institute 2023-11-08 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Balance: Philosophical Implications Santa Fe Institute 2023-11-03 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Simple Models of Language Evolution Santa Fe Institute 2023-10-20 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Taming the Swarm: Towards Collective Artificial Intelligence Santa Fe Institute 2023-10-19 | Radhika Nagpal Princeton University In nature, thousands of individuals can cooperate to achieve complex goals from local interactions — from cells that form complex organisms, to social insects like ants and bees, to the complex and mesmerizing motion of fish schools and bird flocks. These systems are fascinating, especially to scientists and engineers. Even though each individual has limited ability, as a collective, they appear to behave as one. What would it take to create our own artificial collectives of the scale and complexity that nature achieves? In this talk, Radhika Nagpal illustrates how biological swarms can inspire new forms of artificial intelligence and robotic systems. Learn more at https://santafe.edu Follow us on social media: twitter.com/sfiscience instagram.com/sfiscience facebook.com/santafeinstitute facebook.com/groups/santafeinstitute linkedin.com/company/santafeinstitute Subscribe to SFI's official podcasts: complexity.simplecast.com aliencrashsite.org
Towards Collective Artificial Intelligence Santa Fe Institute 2023-10-17 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Large Language Models (LLMs) and the Changing Face of Computational Linguistics Santa Fe Institute 2023-10-06 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Stochastic Learning Dynamics and Generalization in Neural Networks Santa Fe Institute 2023-09-28 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Nonequilibrium Physics in Living Systems Santa Fe Institute 2023-09-27 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Evolving Brains: Solid, Liquid and Synthetic Santa Fe Institute 2023-09-21 | Stanislaw Ulam Memorial Lecture Series Ricard Solé Universitat Pompeu Fabra, SFI Lecture 2: Synthetic Brains and Minds: What is Possible? In our search for the laws of cognitive complexity, we use available evidence from existing life forms — we analyze evolutionary trees and make comparative analyses between them. But there is another path for our search — building new theories, evolving artificial minds, and engineering living and non-living cognitive systems. This lecture explores how synthetic biology, artificial life, physics, and artificial intelligence can help us answer questions about the diversity of cognitive complexity and determine if synthetic cognitions are different from ours. Learn more at https://santafe.edu Follow us on social media: twitter.com/sfiscience instagram.com/sfiscience facebook.com/santafeinstitute facebook.com/groups/santafeinstitute linkedin.com/company/santafeinstitute Subscribe to SFI's official podcasts: complexity.simplecast.com aliencrashsite.org
Evolving Brains: Solid, Liquid and Synthetic Santa Fe Institute 2023-09-20 | Stanislaw Ulam Memorial Lecture Series Ricard Solé Universitat Pompeu Fabra, SFI Lecture 1: Liquid Brains and Solid Brains: The Cognitive Biosphere We live on a planet filled with life, where very diverse intelligences have emerged, from cells and ants to octopi and humans. With such diversity comes a wide range of brains and minds that living systems use to explore and sense their worlds. This lecture explores what constitutes a “brain”, how complex brains evolved, what differences and commonalities span living brains, and how we might build a space for possible new minds. Learn more at https://santafe.edu Follow us on social media: twitter.com/sfiscience instagram.com/sfiscience facebook.com/santafeinstitute facebook.com/groups/santafeinstitute linkedin.com/company/santafeinstitute Subscribe to SFI's official podcasts: complexity.simplecast.com aliencrashsite.org
Crowdsourced Wearable Data and Citizen Science for Public Health Research Santa Fe Institute 2023-09-20 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Climbing Mount Sisyphus Santa Fe Institute 2023-09-19 | Jan Gerrit Schuurman, Technical University BerlinSisyphus has been punished by the Olympian deities to repeatedly push a boulder up a mountain, day in and day out. Albert Camus encourages us to envision Sisyphus from an existential angle (Le Mythe de Sisyphe, 1942). A universe that lacks the interference of Gods is not sterile or pointless. In a world lacking external references, life must propel itself: each atom, mineral, all nucleic acids, proteins, and every breath is imbued with night and day. The value of rolling the stone must lie in every step, every turn, and every gasp.My artwork does not aim to instruct or educate; it neither presents itself as abstract or figurative. It prioritises sensation over perception, emphasising the qualities of experience over objects. In our secular era, life may appear devoid of meaning, with humans striving to impose order on existence and seeking answers to unanswerable questions without success.If knowledge could be anticipated, science would be unnecessary. Notably, research is a perpetual amalgamation of imagination and perception, with no prospect of reaching certitude. Each of my drawings and paintings is a renewed effort to extend oneself, to differentiate novel qualities. To rebel against conformity, to persist without fate to disrupt the cycle, any cycle.There is always more to do, earlier interpretations to be challenged by fresh ways of seeing, sensing and observing, where the world remains logically flat, irrespective of how high we climb Mount Sisyphus no matter how far we explore, think, experiment or search.My art aims to show that we are in a blessed state in a world without foundations. I hope to enchant my audience through the eye, one of our astonishing senses, and convey the complexity of existence.Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Building Human-Like Artificial Agents Santa Fe Institute 2023-09-16 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Fluctuations in Complex Network-coupled Oscillators Santa Fe Institute 2023-09-12 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Evolution of Multicellularity in the Ancestors of Animals Santa Fe Institute 2023-09-09 | Hydrodynamic Performance and Selective FactorsThe origin of multicellular animals from a unicellular protozoan ancestor was a pivotal transition in life s history. Choanoflagellate protozoans share a common ancestor with sponges (primitive animals). We are using choanoflagellates that can be unicellular and can form multicellular colonies of various configurations as model systems to study functional consequences of being multicellular vs. unicellular so that we can gain insights about selective factors that might have affected the evolution of multicellularity. Before we began our work, it was assumed that forming multicellular colonies permitted the ancestors of animals to escape in size from capture by the unicellular predators that existed before the origin of animals. Each choanoflagellate cell propels water by beating a single flagellum and captures bacterial prey on a collar of microvilli around the flagellum. Choanoflagellates can be free-swimming or attached to surfaces, and colonies can be chains, spheres with the flagella pointing outwards, or cups with the flagella lining the interior (like the flagellated chambers of sponges). We have used high-speed microvideography and mathematical modeling to study the water flow produced by solitary cells and by colonies of different designs and sizes, and to investigate how such flow affects their ability to swim, catch bacterial prey, and avoid being eaten by different types of protozoan predators similar to those faced by the ancestors of animals: raptors, suspension feeders, and passive predators. We have discovered a trade-off between feeding and swimming performance. We also found that the choanoflagellate forms that produce strong feeding currents are more likely to be sensed and captured by raptorial predators, and that increasing colony size is an effective predator deterrent only against some types of ciliate suspension feeders. Thus, if the common ancestor of choanoflagellates and animals had the ability shown by choanoflagellates to switch between being unicellular and multicellular, and to alter colony size and configuration in response to variable aquatic environments, that ability to change form (rather than simply becoming multicellular) might have provided a selective advantage to our ancestor.Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
How the Brain Makes You: Collective Intelligence and Computation by Neural Circuits Santa Fe Institute 2023-08-24 | Vijay Balasubramanian University of Pennsylvania, SFI The human brain consists of a 100 billion neurons connected by a 100 trillion synapses. In its computational function, each neuron is a simple electrical device. In this sense it is no different, in its conceptual essence, from a transistor or a diode in a silicon microchip, converting input signals into ephemeral voltage pulses that transmit to other neurons. And yet, the collective effect of these tiny electrical flutterings creates the intelligent mind, with its astonishing capacity for perception and action, memory and imagination, affection and indifference. In the words of Ramon y Cajal (1854-1932), a founding figure of neuroscience, neurons are "the mysterious butterflies of the soul, whose beating of wings may one day reveal to us the secrets of the mind." In this talk, Vijay Balasubramanian will explore current ideas about how this transmutation occurs. Learn more at https://santafe.edu Follow us on social media: twitter.com/sfiscience instagram.com/sfiscience facebook.com/santafeinstitute facebook.com/groups/santafeinstitute linkedin.com/company/santafeinstitute Subscribe to SFI's official podcasts: complexity.simplecast.com aliencrashsite.org
Epistemic Uncertainty Santa Fe Institute 2023-08-24 | the AI Problem Understanding Gap and the Necessity of Structured Societal Context Knowledge for Safe, Robust AIDonald Martin, Jr., Google ResearchThe application of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in high-stakes domains, such as healthcare, presents both opportunities and risks. One significant risk is the epistemic uncertainty of ML/AI developers, who often lack sufficient contextual knowledge about the complex problems they aim to address and the socio-technical environments in which their interventions will be implemented. Conversely, individuals from civil society who are most affected by these issues and are most vulnerable to the harms that AI systems can cause possess deep, qualitative contextual knowledge that is often overlooked and difficult to incorporate into product development workflows.Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Trustworthy Network Science Santa Fe Institute 2023-08-23 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Bayesianism & Explanationism Santa Fe Institute 2023-08-22 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
Practical Questions and Unexpected Answers in Network Synchronization: Optimization and Control Santa Fe Institute 2023-08-12 | Learn more at https://santafe.eduFollow us on social media:twitter.com/sfiscienceinstagram.com/sfisciencefacebook.com/santafeinstitutefacebook.com/groups/santafeinstitutelinkedin.com/company/santafeinstituteSubscribe to SFI's official podcasts:complexity.simplecast.comaliencrashsite.org
