Adam Frank

One is that you see something that has occurred in evolution that has only happened once, right? So let's take the opposite. You see something that's happened multiple times, like wings, lots of examples of wings over lots of different evolutionary lineages. So that's clearly not a hard, making wings is not a hard step.

One is that you see something that has occurred in evolution that has only happened once, right? So let's take the opposite. You see something that's happened multiple times, like wings, lots of examples of wings over lots of different evolutionary lineages. So that's clearly not a hard, making wings is not a hard step.

One is that you see something that has occurred in evolution that has only happened once, right? So let's take the opposite. You see something that's happened multiple times, like wings, lots of examples of wings over lots of different evolutionary lineages. So that's clearly not a hard, making wings is not a hard step.

There are certain other things that people say, no, that's a hard step, oxygen, you know, the oxygen photosynthesis. But they are so, they tend to be so long ago that we've lost all the information. There could be other things in the fossil record that, you know, went, made this innovation, but they're just gone now. So you can't tell. So there's information loss.

There are certain other things that people say, no, that's a hard step, oxygen, you know, the oxygen photosynthesis. But they are so, they tend to be so long ago that we've lost all the information. There could be other things in the fossil record that, you know, went, made this innovation, but they're just gone now. So you can't tell. So there's information loss.

There are certain other things that people say, no, that's a hard step, oxygen, you know, the oxygen photosynthesis. But they are so, they tend to be so long ago that we've lost all the information. There could be other things in the fossil record that, you know, went, made this innovation, but they're just gone now. So you can't tell. So there's information loss.

The other thing is the idea of pulling up the ladder that somebody, you know, some species makes the innovation, but then it fills the niche and nobody else can do it again. So yeah, it only happened once, but it happened once because basically the creature was so successful, it took over and there was no space for anybody else to evolve it.

The other thing is the idea of pulling up the ladder that somebody, you know, some species makes the innovation, but then it fills the niche and nobody else can do it again. So yeah, it only happened once, but it happened once because basically the creature was so successful, it took over and there was no space for anybody else to evolve it.

The other thing is the idea of pulling up the ladder that somebody, you know, some species makes the innovation, but then it fills the niche and nobody else can do it again. So yeah, it only happened once, but it happened once because basically the creature was so successful, it took over and there was no space for anybody else to evolve it.

So yeah, so the interesting thing about this was seeing how... How much, once you look at the details of life's history on Earth, how it really shifts you away from this hard steps model. And it shows you that those details, as we were talking about, like, do you have to know about the planet? Do you have to know about plate tectonics? Yeah, you're going to have to.

So yeah, so the interesting thing about this was seeing how... How much, once you look at the details of life's history on Earth, how it really shifts you away from this hard steps model. And it shows you that those details, as we were talking about, like, do you have to know about the planet? Do you have to know about plate tectonics? Yeah, you're going to have to.

So yeah, so the interesting thing about this was seeing how... How much, once you look at the details of life's history on Earth, how it really shifts you away from this hard steps model. And it shows you that those details, as we were talking about, like, do you have to know about the planet? Do you have to know about plate tectonics? Yeah, you're going to have to.

But I think we're at the point now, so now there may be other kinds of principles that actually, because, you know, co-evolution actually has its own, not deterministic, you're done with determinism, right? But complex systems have patterns, complex systems have constraints, and that's actually what we're going to be looking for, are constraints on them.

But I think we're at the point now, so now there may be other kinds of principles that actually, because, you know, co-evolution actually has its own, not deterministic, you're done with determinism, right? But complex systems have patterns, complex systems have constraints, and that's actually what we're going to be looking for, are constraints on them.

But I think we're at the point now, so now there may be other kinds of principles that actually, because, you know, co-evolution actually has its own, not deterministic, you're done with determinism, right? But complex systems have patterns, complex systems have constraints, and that's actually what we're going to be looking for, are constraints on them.

And so, you know, and again, nothing against Carter was a brilliant idea, but it just goes to show, you know, there's this great XTC. I'm a theoretical physicist, right? And so I love simplified. Give me a simplified model with, you know, a dynamical equation, some initial conditions. I'm very happy.

And so, you know, and again, nothing against Carter was a brilliant idea, but it just goes to show, you know, there's this great XTC. I'm a theoretical physicist, right? And so I love simplified. Give me a simplified model with, you know, a dynamical equation, some initial conditions. I'm very happy.

And so, you know, and again, nothing against Carter was a brilliant idea, but it just goes to show, you know, there's this great XTC. I'm a theoretical physicist, right? And so I love simplified. Give me a simplified model with, you know, a dynamical equation, some initial conditions. I'm very happy.

But there's this great XTC comic where like, you know, somebody is working something out on the board and this physicist is looking over and saying, oh, oh, I just I just wrote down an equation for that. I solved your problem. Do you guys even have a journal for this? And the subtitle is why everybody hates physicists. Yeah. So sometimes that approach totally works.

But there's this great XTC comic where like, you know, somebody is working something out on the board and this physicist is looking over and saying, oh, oh, I just I just wrote down an equation for that. I solved your problem. Do you guys even have a journal for this? And the subtitle is why everybody hates physicists. Yeah. So sometimes that approach totally works.