Physics of Life, Ep 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