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Sara Imari Walker: An Informational Theory of Life

21 snips
May 28, 2025
Sara Imari Walker, an esteemed astrobiologist and leader in assembly theory, joins Benjamin Bratton to discuss the intricate question: What is life? They delve into assembly theory's implications, revealing how life creates complex structures and how this complexity is rare in the universe. The conversation spans the intersection of time, space, and technology, proposing that time can be visualized as a physical entity. They also explore new frameworks to understand life’s origins and the potential of extraterrestrial existence.
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INSIGHT

Life Uniquely Generates Complexity

  • Life is the only mechanism the universe has for generating complex objects.
  • Complex objects are fundamentally rare and require extensive historical contingency built over billions of years.
ANECDOTE

Robots Exploring Life's Origins

  • Chemist Lee Cronin built robots to explore messy chemistry for origins of life.
  • He focused on how to measure signs of life emerging amidst chemical complexity.
INSIGHT

Evolution Selects Complex Structures

  • The universe cannot exhaust all possible configurations of complex objects.
  • The existence of specific complex molecules is contingent on evolutionary selection and history.
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