In this episode we engage with renowned physicist Sara Walker on topics of life's origin, artificial intelligence, and our cosmic future. We delve into Walker's career journey, which starts from her fascination with physics at a community college and leads her to question the origin of life as a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University.

Walker talks about how understanding life's origins is an open frontier that could potentially reshape our perspective of ourselves and our future, the role of AI in comprehending life's structure and origins, and its planetary-scale implications for humanity.

We also hear Walker's advice for young researchers stepping into this field. Tune in for a captivating exploration into life's deepest enigmas!

Full transcript, list of resources, and art piece: https://www.existentialhope.com/podcasts 

Existential Hope was created to collect positive and possible scenarios for the future, so that we can have more people commit to the creation of a brighter future, and to start mapping out the main developments and challenges that need to be navigated to reach it. Find all previous podcast episodes here, always featuring a full transcript, artwork inspired by the episode, and a list of recommended resources from the podcast. Existential Hope is a Foresight Institute project. 

The Foresight Institute is a research organization and non-profit that supports the beneficial development of high-impact technologies. 

Allison Duettmann is the president and COO of Foresight Institute. She directs the Intelligent Cooperation, Molecular Machines, Biotech & Health Extension, Neurotech, and Space Programs, Fellowships, Prizes, and Tech Trees, and shares this work with the public. 

Beatrice Erkers is Chief of Operations at Foresight Institute, and program manager of the Existential Hope group. Her special interest in the integration of technology and society has led her to work for Foresight Institute.

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