Sunlight: Cosmology, Energy Metabolism & the Physics of Life | Robert Fosbury | 242

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The deep connection between sunlight and life, from the scale of the cosmos to the quantum.

Episode Summary: Astrophysicist Dr. Robert Fosbury discusses the sun's characteristics as a star, its analogies to living systems via entropy and complexity, and Erwin Schrödinger's insights on life as order-maintaining entities; he explores how near-infrared (NIR) light from the sun penetrates bodies to enhance mitochondrial function and metabolism, critiques modern artificial lighting's health impacts like mitochondrial dysfunction leading to diseases, and advocates returning to natural light environments for better wellness, drawing connections from cosmology to everyday architecture and lifestyle.

About the guest: Robert Fosbury, PhD is a is a retired astrophysicist. He spent his career at the European Space Agency, working on Hubble and JWST projects, and now pursues interdisciplinary research linking stellar phenomena to biological processes like light's impact on vision and metabolism.

Discussion Points:

• Stars like the sun maintain low-entropy states by exporting entropy as light, mirroring how life ingests low-entropy food to sustain order and homeostasis.
• The universe's complexity peaks midway in entropy increase, with stars producing elements that enable biological complexity, evolving toward cognition.
• Near-infrared light, peaking in solar output at ~1.6 microns due to atmospheric physics, catalyzes mitochondrial ATP production by facilitating electron transport, not via photosynthesis but photo-metabolism.
• Modern LEDs and windows block near-infrared, contributing to mitochondrial dysfunction, obesity, diabetes, and aging; historical thermal lights like incandescents provided beneficial infrared.
• Outdoor environments, especially under trees, flood bodies with reflected near-infrared for health, while blue skies act as cold sinks boosting thermodynamic efficiency.
• Eyes are mitochondria-rich, vulnerable to poor light; therapies using near-infrared slow macular degeneration by improving energy production.
• Ultra-processed foods are "high-entropy" with no structural order, akin to waste, reducing nutritional value for maintaining bodily order.
• Practical fixes: Use low-voltage incandescents indoors, prioritize outdoor time, design buildings with infrared-transmitting glass, and light people, not spaces, for energy savings and health.

Related episode:

• M&M 146: Photobiology, Sunlight, Firelight, Incandescent Bulbs vs.

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