Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

299 | Michael Wong on Information, Function, and the Origin of Life

Dec 16, 2024

Michael Wong, a planetary scientist and astrobiologist, dives into the origins of life and the complexity of biological systems. He discusses the debates between metabolism-first and RNA-first theories, shedding light on how interdisciplinary approaches can enrich our understanding. Wong explores universal principles that govern life's complexity and discusses the roles of functions in both living and non-living systems. He also examines the emergence of functional information and its implications for understanding evolution beyond traditional frameworks.

01:13:00

Episode guests

Michael Wong

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The exploration of life's origins and evolution, both on Earth and potentially in the cosmos, offers insights into complex biological systems.

Defining 'function' in evolving systems provides a framework for understanding how life adapts and persists in diverse environments.

The discussion on Fermi's Paradox highlights the importance of sustainability for advanced civilizations to avoid existential risks and crises.

Deep dives

The Power of Indeed in Hiring

Indeed simplifies the hiring process by utilizing a matching engine to connect employers with quality candidates based on their job requirements. Rather than spending time searching for potential hires, businesses can directly match with individuals who possess the desired qualifications. This platform reduces administrative burdens by offering integrated features such as scheduling, screening, and messaging within the hiring workflow. Thus, organizations can focus more on building personal connections with candidates instead of getting bogged down by tedious tasks.

Intro

2min

Quantifying Life's Origins

16min

Exploring the Universal Principles of Life

4min

The Evolution of Life and Information

12min

Exploring a Unified Theory of Evolution Beyond Biology

3min

Functions and Persistence in Dynamic Systems

16min

Exploring Functional Information and Its Implications

2min

Functional Information and Complexity in Nature

22min

Living organisms seem exquisitely organized and complex, with features clearly adapted to serving certain functions needed to survive and procreate. Natural selection provides a compelling explanation for why that is so. But is there a bigger picture, a more general framework that explains the origin and evolution of functions and complexity in a world governed by uncaring laws of physics? I talk with planetary scientist and astrobiologist Michael Wong about how we can define what "functions" are and the role they play in the evolution of the universe.

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/12/16/299-michael-wong-on-information-function-and-the-origin-of-life/

Michael Wong received his Ph.D. in planetary science from Caltech. He is currently a Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carnegie Institution for Scienceʼs Earth & Planets Laboratory. He is in the process of co-authoring two books: A Missing Law: Evolution, Information, and the Inevitability of Cosmic Complexity with Robert M. Hazen, and a revised edition of Astrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approach with Jonathan Lunine.

Web site
Carnegie web page
Strange New Worlds podcast
Wong et al. (2023), "On the Roles of Function and Selection in Evolving Systems."
Wong and Prabhu (2023), "Cells as the First Data Scientists."

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more