Beyond Center

In the Media Events

A pioneering center devoted to confronting the really big questions of science and philosophy.

About us

Our research projects address such issues, and range from cosmology, through astrobiology to the ultimate fate of humanity. We tackle subjects as diverse as time travel, the colonization of Mars, multiple universes, the nature of complexity and the relationship between mathematics and nature.

Our vision:

To create new and exciting ideas that push the boundaries of research a bit "beyond"
To conduct research that transcends traditional subject categories
To answer foundational questions in science, and explore their philosophical ramifications - what might be called "the big questions"
To present science to the public as a key component of our culture and of significance to all humanity

In the media

'A Test for Life Versus Non-Life" - The New York Times on Sara Walker's upcoming book

In a new book, physicist Sara Walker argues that assembly theory can explain what life is, and even help scientists create new forms of it.

View source (The New York Times )

announcement web article

Book Review: Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence

What is life and how does one recognize it? asks Walker, an astrobiology professor at Arizona State University, in her bold debut.

View source (Publishers Weekly)

print article web article

Lex Fridman Podcast: Sara Walker- Physics of Life, Time, Complexity, and Aliens

Sara Walker is an astrobiologist and theoretical physicist. She is the author of a new book titled "Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life's Emergence"

View source (Lex Fridman Podcast)

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More Beyond In the Media

Upcoming Events

January 2025 Thinking Beyond - A Short History of Reality

January 27, 2025

Zoom webinar

Here, we'll explore the profound question of reality and how scientific discoveries have peeled away layers of our understanding, revealing a world far stranger than we ever imagined.