The physics of entropy and the origin of life | Sean Carroll

submitted by Huzzaz on 12/30/22 1

How did complex systems emerge from chaos? Physicist Sean Carroll explains. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The Universe in 90 minutes: Time, free will, God, & more ► youtu.be/tM4sLmt1Ui8 How did life on Earth originate? Scientists still aren’t sure, and this remains one of the world’s most fascinating and mind-boggling mysteries. One way of approaching the question is to think generally about how complex systems emerge from chaos. Since the 1800s, scientists have known that entropy is always increasing, with everything in our Universe trending toward disorder over time. A more nuanced understanding of entropy is helping today's scientists make progress on the question of the origin of life, as Sean Carroll explains in this Big Think video. Read the video transcript ► bigthink.com/series/great-question/entropy-origin-of-life/ 0:00 Entropy: The 2nd law of thermodynamics 1:56 The two axes: Chaos & complexity 2:40 How did life emerge? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Sean Carroll: Dr. Sean Carroll is Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy — in effect, a joint appointment between physics and philosophy — at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and fractal faculty at the Santa Fe Institute. Most of his career has been spent doing research on cosmology, field theory, and gravitation, looking at topics such as dark matter and dark energy, modified gravity, topological defects, extra dimensions, and violations of fundamental symmetries. These days, his focus has shifted to more foundational questions, both in quantum mechanics (origin of probability, emergence of space and time) and statistical mechanics (entropy and the arrow of time, emergence and causation, dynamics of complexity), bringing a more philosophical dimension to his work. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read more of our stories on the origin of life: What we wish we knew about the origin of life ► bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/origin-of-life-169450/ Can science explain the beginning of the Universe? ► bigthink.com/13-8/origin-universe/ Ask Ethan: Did all life begin from a single, ancient cell? ► bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/life-begin-cell/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Big Think | Smarter Faster™ ► Big Think The leading source of expert-driven, educational content. With thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, Big Think helps you get smarter, faster by exploring the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century. ► Big Think+ Make your business smarter, faster: bigthink.com/plus/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want more Big Think? ► Daily editorial features: bigthink.com/popular/ ► Get the best of Big Think right to your inbox: bigthink.com/st/newsletter ► Facebook: bigth.ink/facebook ► Instagram: bigth.ink/Instagram ► Twitter: bigth.ink/twitter

Leave a comment

Be the first to comment

Be the first to
collect this video
cover photo
Email
Message
×
Embed video on a website or blog
Width
px
Height
px
×
Join Huzzaz
Start collecting all your favorite videos
×
Log in
Join Huzzaz

facebook login
×
Retrieve username and password
Name
Enter your email address to retrieve your username and password
(Check your spam folder if you don't find it in your inbox)

×