What Is Life? #5: Why Does Life Exist?

“What Is Life?” is an eight-episode podcast series recorded in front of a live audience. (Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes, via RSS, etc.)

In this episode, I spoke to Jeremy England, a physicist at MIT, about why life exists. He has developed an influential theory of life as a way for matter to dissipate energy.

Links:
England’s MIT lab site
An article about England in Quanta

If you enjoyed this episode, listen to Episode 6 or check out all eight episodes on the main podcast page. And please spread the word however you can, such as reviewing it on Apple and elsewhere!

Update: If you’d like to learn more about scientists exploring the borderlands between the living and nonliving worlds, check out my new book Life’s Edge: The Search For What It Means To Be Alive.

What Is Life? was recorded in front of a live audience at Caveat in New York and is supported by a grant from Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation initiative. Artwork by Caryn Audenried.