What can physics tell us about the brain? - Part 1

After almost three years of deep discussions with world-renowned experts to try to understand the underlying principles of the most complex systems in our universe, this is the final episode of Simplifying Complexity. However, we’re pleased to announce the return of the Brady Heywood Podcast from hiatus. The Brady Heywood Podcast is a show about engineering failures and disasters where we examine the technical, human and organisational causes of failure, and explore why our decision-making is not nearly as rational as we’d like to think. The Brady Heywood Podcast will be returning soon with an in-depth new series about the 1986 Challenger disaster. Thank you for listening to the show and I hope to see you in the Brady Heywood podcast.   Resources and links: Brady Heywood Podcast on Apple Podcasts Brady Heywood Podcast on Spotify   Connect: Simplifying Complexity on X Simplifying Complexity on YouTube Sean Brady on X Sean Brady on LinkedIn Brady Heywood website This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dave Snowden is the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of The Cynefin Company. The Cynefin Company is an action research and development hub that uses complexity science principles to provide organisations with better tools and frameworks to solve complex problems and improve management practices. In this episode, Dave reveals how the Cynefin Framework aids in people management and how leaders can use it to distinguish between ordered, complex, and chaotic systems. He also addresses the limitations of traditional systems thinking and the role of AI in modern decision-making.   Resources and links: The Cynefin Company website Dave Snowden on X Dave Snowden on Bluesky Dave Snowden on LinkedIn   Connect: Simplifying Complexity on X Simplifying Complexity on YouTube Sean Brady on X Sean Brady on LinkedIn Brady Heywood website This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is part two of our discussion with Marten Scheffer about societal collapse. Marten Scheffer is a Professor at Wageningen University and Research Centre and an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. In this episode, Marten explores the concept of critical slowing down as a precursor to collapse and how this concept is applied to understand modern issues such as climate change, mental health, and societal stability.   Connect: Simplifying Complexity on X Simplifying Complexity on YouTube Sean Brady on X Sean Brady on LinkedIn Brady Heywood website This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Throughout history, we’ve seen societies rise and dramatically fall, but why?  In this episode, Marten Scheffer, a Professor at Wageningen University and Research Centre and an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, explains how social, political, and environmental factors contribute to a decrease in resilience over time, leaving previously powerful societies vulnerable to collapse. This episode is part one of our two-part chat with Marten.   Connect: Simplifying Complexity on X Simplifying Complexity on YouTube Sean Brady on X Sean Brady on LinkedIn Brady Heywood website This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Rutt is the Host of The Jim Rutt Show podcast, former Chair of the Santa Fe Institute, Co-founder of the GameB Social Change Movement, and “Retired Business Dude” after a long career as a businessman in the tech industry. In this episode, Jim outlines how his career as a tech executive intersected with complexity science to contribute to groundbreaking research in genetic algorithms and market simulations. He also discusses the role of AI in programming and the need for multidisciplinary talent in tech development.   Resources and links: The Jim Rutt Show website The Jim Rutt Show on YouTube Jim Rutt on X Jim Rutt on Bluesky   Connect: Simplifying Complexity on X Simplifying Complexity on YouTube Sean Brady on X Sean Brady on LinkedIn Brady Heywood website This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is part two of our discussion with Lee Cronin on Assembly Theory. Lee Cronin is Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow and the Founder & CEO of Chemify.  In this episode, Lee explains how assembly theory can actually be measured in the laboratory using mass spectrometry and other techniques, reveals the critical threshold of 15 that separates living from non-living systems, and discusses his ambitious vision for using assembly theory to detect life elsewhere in the universe and even measure consciousness itself.   Resources and links: ‘Assembly theory explains and quantifies selection and evolution’ on Nature   Connect: Simplifying Complexity on X Sean Brady on X Sean Brady on LinkedIn Brady Heywood website This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2023, a highly controversial paper titled ‘Assembly theory explains and quantifies selection and evolution’ was released to the world. In today’s episode, we’re chatting to one of the its authors, Lee Cronin, Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow and the Founder & CEO of Chemify, to discuss assembly theory and the motivation behind the paper, as well as key concepts such as the assembly index and the copy number. This episode is part one of our two-part chat with Lee. Join us for the next episode, where Lee discusses the Nature paper.   Resources and links: ‘Assembly theory explains and quantifies selection and evolution’ on Nature   Connect: Simplifying Complexity on X Sean Brady on X Sean Brady on LinkedIn Brady Heywood website This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last episode, Christopher Lynn, Assistant Professor of Physics at Yale University, discussed how we can better understand brain function and consciousness using statistical mechanics and information theory. In this episode, Christopher expands on the practical applications of statistical mechanics and information theory for modelling neuron firing rates and predicting brain activity patterns.    Connect: Simplifying Complexity on X Sean Brady on X Sean Brady on LinkedIn Brady Heywood website This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're welcoming back Christopher Lynn, Assistant Professor of Physics at Yale University, to chat about how the brain works. In this episode, Christopher discusses how statistical mechanics and information theory can help us gain a deeper understanding of brain function and consciousness.   Connect: Simplifying Complexity on Twitter Sean Brady on Twitter Sean Brady on LinkedIn Brady Heywood website This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, and Nicholas Gruen, CEO of Lateral Economics, have both returned to debate the efficacy and limitations of applying systems thinking to complex problems.   Resources and links: Ogilvy UK website Lateral Economics website   Connect: Simplifying Complexity on X Simplifying Complexity on YouTube Sean Brady on X Sean Brady on LinkedIn Brady Heywood website This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.