In this episode of the ASEF Podcast, host Tanja Janko speaks with chemist Lee Cronin, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow, creator of the Chemputer, and one of the leading developers of Assembly Theory.
Cronin explains how molecules may carry “memory” of the processes that built them, why complexity might be measurable through assembly processes, and how chemistry could eventually become programmable. Through discussions of Assembly Theory, molecular complexity, inorganic chemical systems, and the search for life beyond Earth, the conversation explores whether life is a rare accident or a natural consequence of matter organizing itself over time.
Along the way, we discuss:
Whether the distinction between patterns and codes is meaningful in biology
How Assembly Theory attempts to measure complexity in chemistry
Whether homochirality could represent an early form of historical selection in chemistry
Whether chemistry could become fully programmable through the Chemputer
If highly complex molecules on Mars could already count as signs of life
Polyoxometalates and the emergence of primitive cell-like behavior in inorganic chemistry
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