Bob and Mike’s Big Idea: A New Law of Nature | Particles of Thought | Podcast

Has science been missing a fundamental law of nature for centuries?

Robert Hazen is a mineralogist and astrobiologist at Carnegie Science and George Mason University. His pioneering research explores the origins of life and the evolving diversity of minerals on Earth. A prolific author and public communicator, Hazen has written widely on science, complexity, and the deep connections between the physical and biological worlds.

Mike Wong is an astrobiologist and planetary scientist at Carnegie Science whose work focuses on how life begins and evolves on worlds like our own. He is also a science communicator, hosting the podcast Strange New Worlds, where he brings complex cosmic ideas to broad audiences. Wong’s research and outreach bridge cutting-edge science with big-picture questions about life in the universe.

📖 Robert Hazen and Michael Wong's new book "Time's Second Arrow: Evolution, Order, and a New Law of Nature" will be available in February 2026. Preorder here: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324105480

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"Particles of Thought" is hosted by Hakeem Oluseyi, an astrophysicist, author, STEM educator, multi-patented inventor, science journalist, TV personality, science communicator, and inspirational speaker. His research is based on "hacking stars" to understand our universe better and develop innovative new technologies. Oluseyi's work has resulted in 11 patents and more than 100 publications covering contributions to astrophysics, cosmology, and plasma physics and the development of space missions, observatories, focal plane instruments, detectors, semiconductor manufacturing, and ion propulsion.

Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction
00:05:35 Laying Out the "Law of Increasing Functional Information"
00:23:04 Functional Information: Explained
00:30:25 What is Selection? Discussing the Law
00:50:53 Testing the New Law
01:06:57 Conclusion

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