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Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas
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 siteCarnegie web pageStrange New Worlds podcastWong 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.
Dr. Michael Wong is a Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carnegie Institution for Science's Earth & Planets Laboratory working with Robert M. Hazen, Shaunna M. Morrison, Peter Gao, and others. His primary scientific interests are planetary atmospheres, habitability, biosignatures, and the emergence of life. He is also co-authoring a revised edition of the textbook Astrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approach with Professor Jonathan Lunine. Dr. Wong's other passions include photography, writing, public speaking, graphic design, and playing a variety of team sports. He hosts a podcast called Strange New Worlds, which examines science, technology, and culture through the lens of Star Trek. Please check out these links from the episode: Strange New Worlds Website Twitter Instagram Boldly Go! Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly/biweekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic. If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook. Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Weekly JourneywithJesus.net postings. Essay by Debie Thomas: *Unless You Eat* for Sunday, 15 August 2021; book review by Dan Clendenin: *The Story of Earth: The First 4.5 Billion Years, From Stardust To Living Planet* by Robert M. Hazen (2012); film review by Dan Clendenin: *Nomadland* (2020); poem selected by Dan Clendenin: *Address to the Lord (1)* by John Berryman.
This week we show 2020 out the door with our 2021 resolutions and yearly planning show! John be more decisive and reactive but in a good way less reflection on made decisions more forward focus work on something and focus get out of team task tracking get back into GTD, especially 2 min rule learn to fly leadership at work Shannon Didn't put her resolutions in the show notes! (Email her!) Fun Paper Friday In our first ever revisit - we come back to a new way to classify minerals. Cleland, Carol E., Robert M. Hazen, and Shaunna M. Morrison. "Historical natural kinds and mineralogy: Systematizing contingency in the context of necessity." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118.1. Contact us: Show Support us on Patreon! www.dontpanicgeocast.com SWUNG Slack @dontpanicgeo show@dontpanicgeocast.com John Leeman www.johnrleeman.com @geo_leeman Shannon Dulin @ShannonDulin