Into the Impossible With Brian Keating Sara Walker: How the Origin of Life Could Guide Our Search for Aliens [Ep. 456]
Sep 1, 2024
Sara Walker, an astrobiologist and theoretical physicist, dives into the cosmic mysteries at the intersection of life and the universe. She explores how understanding the origin of life on Earth could shape our search for extraterrestrial beings. With intriguing concepts like assembly theory, Sara ponders the connection between life's complexity and consciousness. They discuss the possibility of life existing on other planets, alongside whimsical thoughts on intelligent design and the broader implications for life beyond our own.
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Named After Export Port, Not Flower
- Sara Walker's middle name 'Amari' comes from antique 'Amari dishes' exported from a Japanese port, not 'flower'.
- She only learned the true origin later while preparing to visit Japan.
Assembly Theory Defines Life's Complexity Boundary
- Assembly theory formalizes a complexity threshold that only life crosses by measuring minimal assembly steps and copy number.
- Lee Cronin's lab shows mass spectrometry can distinguish living samples by high assembly values.
Complexity Encodes Time And Inner History
- Assembly index captures how much historical, causal work went into building an object, making time intrinsic to complexity.
- Deeply assembled structures may harbor large 'inner worlds' and connect to how we think about consciousness.