AI: Salvation or Damnation

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic idea—it’s here, and it’s transforming our world. From chatbots that sound human to “grief AI” that mimics lost loved ones, the technology is racing ahead faster than most of us imagined. Will it lead to a healthier, longer life for all of us, or to a future with no privacy and machines calling the shots? In this talk, we’ll cut through the hype to explore what AI really is, why it matters, and how it may shape the choices we face in the years ahead.

Our understanding of time has transformed dramatically over the history of physics. From Newton’s absolute time to Einstein’s dynamical spacetime, Raphaela Wutte will explain how motion and gravity change the simultaneity of events and elapsed time. She will discuss the strange behavior of time near black holes and the open questions at the intersection of gravity and quantum theory.

How do brain cells communicate? Neuroscientists have focused on chemical and electrical signaling, but now a tantalizing new possibility has emerged. This form of communication involves light; brain cells also seem to use photons to send messages to each other. It has been known for decades that living tissues emit “biophotons” at low intensity, but the biological function has been unclear. I will address several key questions: Do different types of brain cells have different patterns of biophoton activity? Do biophotons change as a result of stress?

So far, all of biological research is done on a single sample of life. But synthetic biology aspires to engineer fundamentally new life forms, to help us investigate the limits and possibilities of biology and to answer questions about healthy and diseased natural cells. One approach is to create synthetic minimal cells - encapsulated bioreactors – which possess some, but not all, properties of living cells.

The “Thinking Beyond” webinar series features renowned physicists Paul Davies, Sara Walker and Maulik Parikh from the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University and addresses big questions/topics in science. This month, Justin Khoury will present the topic and will be joined by Paul Davies and Maulik Parikh.

February 2025 Thinking Beyond- Before the Big Bang

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. From Newtonian physics to quantum mechanics, we'll delve into phenomena like wave-particle duality and quantum entanglement, which challenge our intuitive notions of space, time, and matter. We’ll explore how each breakthrough brings us closer to understanding the true nature of reality yet simultaneously unveils new mysteries that assault our common sense.

The “Thinking Beyond” webinar series features renowned physicists Paul Davies, Sara Walker and Maulik Parikh from the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University and addresses big questions/topics in science. This month, Tamara Davis will present the topic and will be joined by Paul Davies and Maulik Parikh.

The “Thinking Beyond” webinar series features renowned physicists Paul Davies, Sara Walker and Maulik Parikh from the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University and addresses big questions/topics in science. This month, Roland Fletcher will present the topic and will be joined by Paul Davies and Maulik Parikh.

The “Thinking Beyond” webinar series features renowned physicists Paul Davies, Sara Walker and Maulik Parikh from the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University and addresses big questions/topics in science. This month, Paul Davies and Sara Walker will present the topic.

September 2024 Webinar- Life as No One Knows It

The “Thinking Beyond” webinar series features renowned physicists Paul Davies, Sara Walker and Maulik Parikh from the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University and addresses big questions/topics in science. This month, Andrew B. Barron will present the topic and will be joined by Paul Davies and Sara Walker.

August 2024 Webinar- Being a Bee