
#404 – Lee Cronin: Controversial Nature Paper on Evolution of Life and Universe
Lex Fridman PodcastSat Dec 09 2023
Assembly Theory:
- Assembly Theory quantifies the complexity of any object in the universe by determining the number of steps it took to create it and whether it was built through a process similar to evolution based on the number of copies of the object.
- An object is considered finite, countable, and decomposable into subunits.
Assembly Index:
- The assembly index represents the minimum number of steps required to add parts together to reproduce an object, serving as a minimum bound for its complexity.
- This index is crucial as it provides insights into the minimal amount of information needed to propagate motifs in time and space.
Computational Complexity:
- Calculating the assembly index for molecules involves breaking down molecules into their constituent atoms and then determining how those atoms are combined to reconstruct the molecule.
- While this presents computational challenges, there are shortcuts such as using mass spectrometry techniques that correlate with the assembly index.
Generalizability of Shortcuts:
- The use of shortcuts like mass spectrometry correlations with assembly indices holds potential applications beyond chemistry. For instance, Lee Cronin's lab has begun exploring assembly theory applied to emojis by pixelating them and calculating their assembly indices.
Universe Dynamics:
- Assembly theory posits four universes: assembly universe, assembly possible, assembly contingent, and assembly observed.
- These universes represent different scales in a combinatorial universe where constraints imposed by physics define what is achievable within each universe.
Evolutionary Biology and Origin of Life:
- The assembly equation quantifies the total amount of selection necessary to produce an ensemble of observed objects, with variables including the assembly index, copy number, and normalization.
- The paper "Assembly Theory Explains and Quantifies Selection and Evolution" presents ideas that reach high but provoke strong reactions from evolutionary biologists, computational complexity experts, physicists, prebiotic chemists, and creationists.
Detection of Alien Life:
- Mass spectrometry with sufficiently high resolution can be used to detect complex molecules on other planets as evidence of life.
- The presence of molecules with high molecular weight and numerous fragments indicates high assembly index, suggesting the existence of artifacts produced by life.
Life Meter for Detecting Primitive Life:
- A hypothetical life meter device would combine infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry in a vacuum chamber to analyze samples for complexity in abundance as evidence of selection.
- The life meter's detection system would aim to differentiate between Earth biology bias and measure universal complexity in non-Earth environments.
Application of Life Meter on Earth:
- Prebiotic chemistry experiments involved running tests on various inorganic minerals to extract volatiles for analysis using the proposed life meter.
Peaty Whiskey and Molecular Complexity:
- Peaty whiskey from Scotland is known for its intense brown color and complex flavor, attributed to the presence of molecules from peat.
- The assembly index was used to measure the complexity of molecules in various samples, including whiskey, E. coli, beer, and NASA-provided samples.
Evolutionary Biology and Tree of Life:
- Assembly theory has been applied to reconstruct the tree of life using mass spectrometry instead of gene sequencing, identifying common origins of molecules.
- Criticism from evolutionary biologists stemmed from misunderstandings about addressing gaps in understanding the origin of life before biological evolution.
Criticism and Application Expansion:
- Evolutionary biologists criticized the framework due to a misunderstanding that the origin of life is a solved problem within evolutionary biology.
- The framework aims to quantify selection, complexity, copy number not limited to chemistry but extending towards cells, tissue types, diseases, culture, language, mathematical theories, microprocessor architecture, intelligent systems such as large language models (LLMs).
Evolution and Assembly Theory:
- The assembly theory aims to measure higher-level evolution by tracing the process through which life emerged, focusing on causal chains and selection processes.
- It differs from Kolmogorov complexity as it looks at objects without considering a Turing machine or computer program length, aiming to infer an object's history by identifying the shortest path.
Chemical Reactions and Constraints:
- Chemical reactions are viewed as constraint applications controlled by quantum mechanics laws rather than actual reactions in a vacuum, with constraints being shaped by Earth's chemical composition and environmental conditions.
- This perspective offers a unique framework for understanding chemistry within the broader context of the universe and applying assembly theory to study the evolution of molecules over time.
Challenges in Publishing Scientific Papers:
- Lee Cronin shares his personal journey of overcoming learning difficulties during his early education, expressing determination to pursue science despite academic challenges.
- He recounts facing rejection and criticism when attempting to publish groundbreaking papers, emphasizing perseverance in challenging established norms and pursuing scientific discourse.
Evolution of Life:
- Lee Cronin shares his experience of being determined to find answers and embracing first principle thinking during his university years, highlighting a proactive approach to learning and problem-solving.
- He emphasizes the importance of not giving up and hiring individuals who show persistence, drawing from his own experiences in overcoming challenges.
Criticism and Innovation:
- Cronin values constructive criticism and seeks actionable feedback to improve ideas and concepts, emphasizing the significance of thoughtful critique for improvement in academic pursuits.
- He believes in nurturing new ideas by integrating criticism, emphasizing that receiving actionable criticism is essential for growth and progress within academic research.
Fundamental Nature of Time:
- The discussion delves into the fundamental nature of time, exploring its role in enabling free will and creativity, with an emphasis on non-determinism leading to a universe that generates novelty and possibilities.
- It explores the concept that time is non-deterministic, leading to a universe that generates novelty and possibilities, challenging traditional views on determinism while highlighting the creative potential enabled by non-deterministic time.
Novelty Mining in the Universe:
- The conversation introduces the idea that life acts as a "novelty miner" from the future, bringing about genuinely new configurations not predicted by the past, shedding light on how life contributes to creative time within the universe.
- It discusses how life opens up combinatorial space, contributing to creative time within the universe through generating genuinely new configurations not predicted by historical precedent. Evolution and Novelty Mining:
- Assembly theory quantifies the transition to biology, revealing that biology seems to be involved in novelty mining, creating unique objects on Earth through combinatorial math.
- The concept of life as novelty mining from the future suggests that the future's size relative to the present in a deterministic universe introduces indeterminism or randomness, leading to creativity and unpredictability.
Cellular Automata and Complexity:
- Cellular automata (CAs) are pseudo-complexity generators that can mine novelty in the future through iteration, providing evidence for the idea that the universe is too big to contain itself.
- CAs display complexity but also have an associated copy number and assembly index, unlike mere numbers running. Their complexity is nested on selection, making them fascinating tools for studying surprise and evolution.
Free Will and Time Fundamentalism:
- Free will logically requires time fundamentalism, where time serves as a foundational resource allowing memory of past events and enabling decision-making.
- Understanding free will is observation-driven, with logical deductions indicating determinism when looking backward in time but requiring leaps beyond this understanding.
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Concerns:
- There is skepticism about achieving AGI anytime soon due to limited understanding of intelligence and human brain functioning. Regulation of AI is deemed nonsensical without comprehensive comprehension.
- The AI doom scenario regarding AGI lacks empirical basis due to uncertainties about mechanisms leading to exaggerated concerns.
Nuclear Weapons and Unintended Consequences:
- Concerns about AI safety should focus on unintended consequences rather than catastrophic scenarios akin to nuclear warheads causing devastation if used carelessly.
- While regulating certain aspects of AI use may be necessary, it should not impede knowledge generation or progress; it's important to consider both benefits and risks.
Nuclear Weapons and Global Distribution:
- Proposes distributing nuclear weapons equally among all nations to increase the quality of life.
- Discusses potential consequences of a small nation using nuclear weapons and suggests virtual simulations as an alternative.
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and Conscious AI:
- Advocates for developing a chemical brain to mimic human intelligence, citing limitations in current machine learning technologies.
- Highlights the fundamental role of time in generating novelty and the challenges in quantifying genuine novelty generated by artificial intelligence systems compared to human capacity for novelty generation.
Chemical Brain and Novelty Generation:
- Explores the concept of mining novelty through overlapping causal chains, emphasizing the fundamental role of time in generating novelty.
- Describes efforts to use chemical systems for cross-domain training at a lower cost, aiming to enhance intelligence capabilities.
Electron Density Models and Molecule Generation:
- Explains the development of a system that generates electron density from noise, enabling the creation of molecules designed to bind with specific sites.
- Discusses challenges in quantifying genuine novelty generated by artificial intelligence systems compared to human capacity for novelty generation.
Concepts of God and Selection as Creative Force:
- Views selection as the force in the universe creating novelty, highlighting its role in persistence and existence.
- Considers selection's persistent objects as a result of operations maintaining their structure, attributing it to a fundamental creative force.
Free Will and Imagination:
- Free will is situated at the juncture of the present, past, and future, allowing for the influence of human agency on forthcoming events.
- The possibility of existence encompasses all potentialities, but not all come to fruition, signifying the role of free will in shaping outcomes.
- Human imagination holds a causal sway over the future, defying conventional physical laws by exerting tangible effects on reality.
- The capacity to conceive scenarios that may never materialize underscores the transformative power of imagination in altering future trajectories.
Life, Universe, and Novelty:
- Life embodies a process of continual novelty generation with an inherent ability for selection that impacts the universe's fabric.
- Universes hosting life are fundamentally distinct from those devoid of it, prompting an ongoing quest for comprehension and discovery.
- Assembly theory posits that understanding life's impact on the universe will unfold progressively over time as ideas evolve and deepen insights into existential questions.
Reflections on Legacy:
- Leaving "Easter eggs" or distinctive contributions for posterity holds profound significance beyond one's lifetime, representing a commitment to advancing intellectual exploration even after death.