Time and again since the era of Newton, physics has come forth with new classes of dynamical laws ranging from Fourier’s mastery of the heat equation to Maxwell’s theory of the electromagnetic field to Turing’s ideas on pattern formation and many others.  However, there are a large class of dynamical processes in living organisms where the dynamical description is of a completely different kind. In particular, many biological processes are exploratory in nature, often largely independent of initial conditions, and driven by a functional purpose.  For example, before our cells divide, precisely 46 connections have to be made between the machinery that separates chromosomes and the chromosomes themselves.  Not 45, not 47. One connection for every one of our 23 pairs of chromosomes.   In this talk, I will describe the hypothesis of exploratory dynamics as biology’s unique and necessary solution to problems in purposeful dynamics.  After introducing the conceptual questions and corresponding phenomenological observations, I will describe both theoretical approaches to thinking about exploratory dynamics and experiments designed to reveal its many quantitative mysteries.

This talk is accompanied by the Order of Magnitudes Workshop from 11am - 1pm in Compton 340. All graduate students are invited to attend; lunch will be provided. Students are encouraged to bring paper or iPads to aid in collaboration. 

This interactive Order of Magnitudes Workshop explores the art of scientific estimation. Through hands-on, back-of-the-envelope calculations, participants will learn how order-of-magnitude reasoning can reveal the scales that govern problems across physics, biology, and the natural sciences. Drawing on examples from the history and practice of science, the workshop will show how simple estimates can test assumptions, guide model building, and turn seemingly intractable questions into problems that can be reasoned about quantitatively.

This lecture was made possible by the William C. Ferguson Fund.