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In this video I showcase a program that I have been working on for simulating evolution by natural selection. I dive into various mechanisms of the simulation and go over some interesting real-life biology in the process. The key aim of this project is to evolve multicellular organisms, starting from single-celled protozoa-like creatures that must collect mass and energy from their surroundings in order to survive, grow and reproduce.

Chapters:
00:00 — Introduction.
00:56 — Life of a protozoan.
02:46 — The start of the simulation.
05:57 — How the cells work.
06:53 — Introducing multicellular colonies.
08:33 — Understanding evolution.
11:38 — Looking at data from the simulation.
13:27 — Evolving epigenetics introduction.
14:14 — Waddington’s Landscape and cell specialisation.
15:22 — The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology.
16:05 — Gene Regulatory Networks.
16:54 — Outro.
17:30 — Watching the simulation.

Find the project on GitHub:
https://github.com/DylanCope/Evolving-Protozoa.

Credits:

Tectonic plates animation: Scotese, C.R., 2016. Plate Tectonics, Paleogeography, and Ice Ages, (Modern World — 540Ma)

Gene expression and cell specialisation diagram: Prof. Dave Explains, 2017. The origin of multicellular life.

Continue reading “Simulating Cellular Evolution: The Path To Multicellularity” | >

In this interview with Avi Loeb, the Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science and astrophysicist at Harvard University, he explains why in his new book, Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, he has put forth the theory that our first interstellar visitor to be spotted in our solar system, Oumuamua, might just be the first sign of intelligent life beyond earth.

Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth https://amzn.to/2LiIxoo affiliate link.

Loeb, A., 2018, “Six Strange Facts About‘Oumuamua”, Scientific American: https://arxiv.org/abs/1811.

Bialy, S. & Loeb, A., 2018, “Could Solar Radiation Pressure Explain ‘Oumuamua’s Peculiar Acceleration?”, ApJ, 868, 1: https://arxiv.org/abs/1810.

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Continue reading “Why Oumuamua May Have Been The First Sign of Intelligent Life with Dr. Avi Loeb” | >

Roman concrete has mostly stood the test of time. The Pantheon for example was dedicated in 128 CE and has the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. Today, it’s still intact.

Even some ancient Roman aqueducts still deliver water to Rome.

On the other hand – In your town or city you probably have at least one piece of brutalist architecture. Big in the 50s and 60s, these now controversial concrete structures were considered utilitarian and long lasting. Yet today, without restoration, some of these reinforced concrete buildings have begun to crumble.

Read more | >

As workers were constructing a highway in Romania, a Hun warrior’s treasure-filled tomb was unearthed. According to Live Science, the tomb dates all the way to the fifth century AD, when the region was proliferated by the Huns.

Prince-Like Tomb of a Hun Warrior

According to MSN, the tomb has over a hundred artifacts within it. This includes objects covered in gold, weapons, and gemstone-filled jewelry.

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When we look up into the night skies, all we see is absence and silence, but could our galaxy be a dark forest full of hidden predators waiting to consume us?

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Listen or Download the audio of this episode from Soundcloud: Episode’s Audio-only version: https://soundcloud.com/isaac-arthur-148927746/the-dark-fores…ile-galaxy.
Episode’s Narration-only version: https://soundcloud.com/isaac-arthur-148927746/the-dark-fores…ation-only.

Credits:
The Dark Forest, Aliens, and a Hostile Galaxy.
Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur.
Episode 377a, January 15, 2023
Written, Produced & Narrated by Isaac Arthur.

Editors:
David McFarlane.
Donagh Broderick.

Graphics by:

Continue reading “The Dark Forest, Aliens, and a Hostile Galaxy” | >

Dr. Ryan Raut talks to us about some of his recent work on brain states and brain networks, linking them through synchronized traveling waves:
https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.abf2709
https://www.pnas.org/content/117/34/20890.short.

This video is part of the SNAC Chat series organized by Mac Shine, Joe Lizier, Ben Fulcher, and Oliver Cliff (The University of Sydney).

SNAC Chats are less formal and more interactive than the typical seminars hosted by the Sydney Systems Neuroscience and Complexity (SNAC) group.

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The largest moon of Saturn is an unique habitat in our Solar System. It appears to be a world different from our own, with its methane-filled lakes, freezing volcanoes, and underground tunnels.

However, Titan’s first geomorphological map demonstrates that, while its landscape is spectacular and diverse, these elements actually make it surprisingly similar to Earth.

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