How do mycelial networks of a fungus - a brainless organism - manage to exhibit seemingly sentient behaviors? How can biological populations be described - seemingly contradictory - both as particles (individual agents exhibiting seemingly random behavior) and as waves (migrating fronts of population density)?
In this talk, Tom Shimizu will explore the dynamics of biological waves and particles, and propose that this particle-wave duality ought to be taken as seriously as its more famous counterpart and core idea in quantum physics. Shimizu will give examples of how precise experiments that quantify the behavior of a variety of biological populations can open unexpected windows into the broader science of emergence, which aims to uncover general principles of collective organization in nature across scales of space and time. As an illustrative example with real-world impact, he will describe recent work building robots to quantify the behavior of mycorrhizal fungi. These unique yet ubiquitous soil organisms form vast underground networks for symbiotic nutrient exchange that supports terrestrial ecosystems across our planet, and help regulate global climate.
Science & Cocktails is a series of public talks by scientists with live music and smoky dry-ice chilled cocktails in your hand.
