The Universal Hierarchy of Life - Prof. Chris Kempes [SFI]

This podcast features an interview with Professor Chris Kempes from the Santa Fe Institute, who discusses his interdisciplinary research background spanning physics, biophysics, ecology, and astrobiology. The conversation explores the reconciliation of different scientific cultures—variance, exactitude, and coarse-grained abstraction—and the importance of compactness and compression in scientific theories. Kempes elaborates on the quest for a universal theory of life, considering the roles of materials, constraints, and optimization principles, and touches on assembly theory as a method for quantifying complexity in the search for extraterrestrial life. The discussion also covers the potential for simulating life in computers and the challenges in defining and categorizing life forms, including viruses and AI.