Lee Cronin

Imagine you've got, I'm going to have to go chemistry for a moment and then abstract it. So imagine you've got, a given environment that you have a budget of atoms you're just flinging together and the objective of those atoms that have been flung together in say molecule A have to make they decompose so molecules decompose over time so the molecules decompose

Imagine you've got, I'm going to have to go chemistry for a moment and then abstract it. So imagine you've got, a given environment that you have a budget of atoms you're just flinging together and the objective of those atoms that have been flung together in say molecule A have to make they decompose so molecules decompose over time so the molecules decompose

in this environment, in this magic environment, have to not die, but they do die. They have a half-life. So the only way the molecules can get through that environment out the other side, let's pretend the environment is a box, you can go in and out without dying, and there's just an infinite supply of atoms coming, or, well, a large supply,

in this environment, in this magic environment, have to not die, but they do die. They have a half-life. So the only way the molecules can get through that environment out the other side, let's pretend the environment is a box, you can go in and out without dying, and there's just an infinite supply of atoms coming, or, well, a large supply,

in this environment, in this magic environment, have to not die, but they do die. They have a half-life. So the only way the molecules can get through that environment out the other side, let's pretend the environment is a box, you can go in and out without dying, and there's just an infinite supply of atoms coming, or, well, a large supply,

The molecule gets built, but the molecule that is able to template itself being built and survives in the environment will basically reign supreme. Now, let's say that molecule takes 10 steps and it's using a finite set of atoms. Now, let's say another molecule, smart-ass molecule we'll call it, comes in and can survive in that environment. and can copy itself, but it only needs five steps.

The molecule gets built, but the molecule that is able to template itself being built and survives in the environment will basically reign supreme. Now, let's say that molecule takes 10 steps and it's using a finite set of atoms. Now, let's say another molecule, smart-ass molecule we'll call it, comes in and can survive in that environment. and can copy itself, but it only needs five steps.

The molecule gets built, but the molecule that is able to template itself being built and survives in the environment will basically reign supreme. Now, let's say that molecule takes 10 steps and it's using a finite set of atoms. Now, let's say another molecule, smart-ass molecule we'll call it, comes in and can survive in that environment. and can copy itself, but it only needs five steps.

The molecule that only needs five steps, because both molecules are being destroyed, but they're creating themselves faster they can be destroyed, you can see that the shortest path reigns supreme. So the shortest path tells us something super interesting about the minimal amount of information required to propagate that motif in time and space.

The molecule that only needs five steps, because both molecules are being destroyed, but they're creating themselves faster they can be destroyed, you can see that the shortest path reigns supreme. So the shortest path tells us something super interesting about the minimal amount of information required to propagate that motif in time and space.

The molecule that only needs five steps, because both molecules are being destroyed, but they're creating themselves faster they can be destroyed, you can see that the shortest path reigns supreme. So the shortest path tells us something super interesting about the minimal amount of information required to propagate that motif in time and space.

And it's just like a kind of, it seems to be like some kind of conservation law.

And it's just like a kind of, it seems to be like some kind of conservation law.

And it's just like a kind of, it seems to be like some kind of conservation law.

Yeah. Yes and no, because there are other things. So in the limit, yes, because you want to tell the difference between things that have required a factory to build them and just random processes. But you can find instances where the shortest path isn't taken for an individual object, an individual function. And people go, ah... that means the shortest path isn't right.

Yeah. Yes and no, because there are other things. So in the limit, yes, because you want to tell the difference between things that have required a factory to build them and just random processes. But you can find instances where the shortest path isn't taken for an individual object, an individual function. And people go, ah... that means the shortest path isn't right.

Yeah. Yes and no, because there are other things. So in the limit, yes, because you want to tell the difference between things that have required a factory to build them and just random processes. But you can find instances where the shortest path isn't taken for an individual object, an individual function. And people go, ah... that means the shortest path isn't right.

And then I say, well, I don't know. I think it's right still because, so of course, because there are other driving forces. It's not just one molecule. Now, when you start to, now you start to consider two objects, you have a joint assembly space and it's not, now it's a compromise between not just making A and B in the shortest path.

And then I say, well, I don't know. I think it's right still because, so of course, because there are other driving forces. It's not just one molecule. Now, when you start to, now you start to consider two objects, you have a joint assembly space and it's not, now it's a compromise between not just making A and B in the shortest path.

And then I say, well, I don't know. I think it's right still because, so of course, because there are other driving forces. It's not just one molecule. Now, when you start to, now you start to consider two objects, you have a joint assembly space and it's not, now it's a compromise between not just making A and B in the shortest path.