Douglas H. Erwin
Independent researcher at the Santa Fe Institute and retired Senior Scientist and Curator of Paleobiology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, author of The Origins of the New (2026), specializing in evolutionary novelty and innovation.
Best podcasts with Douglas H. Erwin
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Apr 6, 2026 • 48min
Douglas H. Erwin, "The Origins of the New: Novelty and Innovation in the History of Life, Culture, and Technology" (Princeton UP, 2026)
Douglas H. Erwin, retired Smithsonian paleobiologist and Santa Fe Institute researcher, explores how novelty arises and when it becomes lasting innovation. He contrasts origin versus success, presents a four-phase model (potentiation, novelty, refinement, innovation), and applies it to biology, culture, and technology. He also discusses contingency, network restructuring, and the role of public goods in creating new opportunity spaces.
Apr 6, 2026 • 48min
Douglas H. Erwin, "The Origins of the New: Novelty and Innovation in the History of Life, Culture, and Technology" (Princeton UP, 2026)
Douglas H. Erwin, retired Smithsonian paleobiologist and Santa Fe Institute researcher, explores how novelty and innovation differ across biology, culture, and technology. He outlines a four-phase model—potentiation, novelty, refinement, innovation. He applies it to feathers, language, computing, and ecosystems, and discusses how new opportunity spaces and public goods shape what succeeds.
