Jul 5, 2024 06:12 PM
https://bigthink.com/13-8/a-new-model-fo...-universe/
KEY POINTS: Nearly 70 years ago, Edwin Schrödinger wrote his seminal work: What Is Life? In that small book, Schrödinger asked whether living systems might require the development of new laws of physics. Here, Adam Frank previews an upcoming workshop where scientists of various backgrounds will discuss the concept of life as information-driven states of matter, exploring how this perspective could redefine our understanding of what it means to be alive.
INTRO: It’s pretty easy to see that a rock and a chipmunk are different. The rock doesn’t do much of anything except erode slowly. The chipmunk, on the other hand, is a flurry of activity. It endlessly scans its environment in search of food or danger. And when either one shows up, the chipmunk is quick to react. At a more fundamental level, however, what really is the difference between the inanimate rock and the very animate chipmunk? What’s the difference at the level of mathematical physics and chemistry?
This question lies at the heart of a three-day workshop on “Information-Driven States of Matter” that I’ll be co-hosting along with Gourab Ghoshal and Artemy Kolchinsky next week at the University of Rochester. I am really looking forward to the meeting, and today I want to give you a preview of some of the topics we’ll be exploring since they are bound to drive future columns... (MORE - details)
KEY POINTS: Nearly 70 years ago, Edwin Schrödinger wrote his seminal work: What Is Life? In that small book, Schrödinger asked whether living systems might require the development of new laws of physics. Here, Adam Frank previews an upcoming workshop where scientists of various backgrounds will discuss the concept of life as information-driven states of matter, exploring how this perspective could redefine our understanding of what it means to be alive.
INTRO: It’s pretty easy to see that a rock and a chipmunk are different. The rock doesn’t do much of anything except erode slowly. The chipmunk, on the other hand, is a flurry of activity. It endlessly scans its environment in search of food or danger. And when either one shows up, the chipmunk is quick to react. At a more fundamental level, however, what really is the difference between the inanimate rock and the very animate chipmunk? What’s the difference at the level of mathematical physics and chemistry?
This question lies at the heart of a three-day workshop on “Information-Driven States of Matter” that I’ll be co-hosting along with Gourab Ghoshal and Artemy Kolchinsky next week at the University of Rochester. I am really looking forward to the meeting, and today I want to give you a preview of some of the topics we’ll be exploring since they are bound to drive future columns... (MORE - details)
