Guests:

• Heather Graham, Research Associate at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Hosts: Abha Eli Phoboo & Chris Kempes

Producer: Katherine Moncure

Podcast theme music by: Mitch Mignano

Additional sound credits: Digifish music; “Determination of Azimuth,” written by Heather Graham, staged at the Baltimore Rock Opera Society

Follow us on:
Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • Bluesky

More info:

Apply for the 2024 Complexity Global School at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia

SFI programs: Education

• Complexity Explorer: Origins of Life: Introduction| Chris Kempes (Link to full playlist)
• Enroll for the course: Origins of Life

Videos:

• Asteroids, Agnostic Biosignatures, & Experimental Rock Opera with Dr. Heather Graham
• Heather Graham on Katherine Johnson

Papers & Articles:

• “Investigating the impact of x‐ray computed tomography imaging on soluble organic matter in the Murchison meteorite: Implications for Bennu sample analyses” in Meteoritics & Planetary Science (December 2023), doi.org/10.1111/maps.14111
• “The Vacant Niche Revisited: Using Negative Results to Refine the Limits of Habitability,” in bioRxiv (Nov 8, 2023), doi.org/10.1101/2023.11.06.565904
• “Observations of Elemental Composition of Enceladus Consistent with Generalized Models of Theoretical Ecosystems,” in bioRxiv (Oct 29, 2023), doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.29.564608
• “Planetary Subsurface Science and Exploration: An Integrated Consortium to Understand Subsurface Sources of Energy and the Unique Energetics of Subsurface Life,” in Mars Extant Life: What’s Next? (Nov 2019), hou.usra.edu/meetings/lifeonmars2019/pdf/5047.pdf
• “Detecting life on Earth and the limits of analogy,” in Planetary Astrobiology (June 16, 2020)
• “Identifying molecules as biosignatures with assembly theory and mass spectrometry,” in chemRxiv (Nov 16, 202), chemrxiv.org/engage/api-gateway/chemrxiv/assets/orp/resource/item/60c751e59abda27c1af8dce4/original/identifying-molecules-as-biosignatures-with-assembly-theory-and-mass-spectrometry.pdf
• “The Grayness of the Origin of Life,” in Life (May 29, 2021) doi.org/10.3390/life11060498
• “Generalized stoichiometry and biogeochemistry for astrobiological applications,” in Bulletin of Mathematical Biology (July 2021), link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11538-021-00877-5

Guests:

• David Krakauer, President and William H. Miller Professor of Complex Systems at the Santa Fe Institute
• Sean Carroll, External Professor and Fractal Faculty at the Santa Fe Institute, Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University

Hosts: Abha Eli Phoboo & Chris Kempes

Producer: Katherine Moncure

Podcast theme music by: Mitch Mignano

Additional sound credits: Digifishmusic, Trundlefly, Greenvwbeetle, Miksmusic, Brewlabboffin

Follow us on:
Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • Bluesky

More info:

SFI programs: Education

Complexity Explorer:

• Origins of Life: The Multiple Origins of Life - Part 1 | David Krakauer
• Origins of Life: The Multiple Origins of Life - Part 2 | David Krakauer
• Origins of Life: The Multiple Origins of Life - Part 3 | David Krakauer
• Origins of Life: The Multiple Origins of Life - Part 4 | David Krakauer
• Complexity Explorer Lecture: David Krakauer • What is Complexity?

Books:

• Disputed Inheritance: The Battle over Mendel and the Future of Biology by Gregory Radick
• Quanta and Fields: The Biggest Ideas in the Universe by Sean Carroll
• Worlds Hidden in Plain Sight: The Evolving Idea of Complexity at the Santa Fe Institute, 1984-2019 Edited by David Krakauer

Talks:

• The Many Worlds of Quantum Mechanics Sean Carroll

Papers & Articles:

• “The Multiple Paths to Multiple Life,” in Journal of Molecular Evolution (July 12, 2021), doi.org/10.1007/s00239-021-10016-2

Guests:

• Melanie Moses, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, Professor of Computer Science and Associate Professor of Biology at University of New Mexico
• Hyejin Youn, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, Associate Professor at Institute of Northwestern University

Hosts: Abha Eli Phoboo & Chris Kempes

Producer: Katherine Moncure

Podcast theme music by: Mitch Mignano

Follow us on:
Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • Bluesky

More info:

SFI programs: Education

Complexity Explorer:

Fractals and Scaling

Fractals and Scaling: Toward a Theory of Urban Scaling

Introduction to Complexity: Ant Foraging and Task Allocation

• Books:
• Scale by Geoffrey West
• Complexity: a Guided Tour by Melanie Mitchell

Talks:

• Toward a Scientific Theory of Cities by Hyejin Youn

Papers & Articles:

• “Synergy in ant foraging strategies: memory and communication alone and in combination,” in GECCO’13: Proceedings of the 15th annual conference on Genetic and evolutionary computation (July 6, 2013), doi.org/10.1145/2463372.2463389
• “In vivo, in silico, in machina: Ants and Robots balance memory and communication to collectively exploit information,” in Proceedings of the European Conference on Complex Systems 2012
• “What makes individual I’s a Collective We; coordination mechanisms & costs” in arXiv (November 20, 2023), doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2306.02113
• “How does innovation push its boundaries?” in 43 Visions for Complexity, Exploring Complexity: Volume 3 (January 2017), doi.org/10.1142/9789813206854_0043