50 years ago, in 1971, Stuart Kauffman published his initial ideas on autocatalytic sets. A look back…
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Latest Posts
Beethoven’s 250th Birthday
250 years ago this month, Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, but lived in Vienna most of his life. Here is a photographic & historical exploration of his time in Vienna.
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Sunset over the Bodensee
A nice sunset over the Bodensee, as watched from Bregenz.
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Whim of the Week – 75
That blockhead feeling…
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Oh Vienna…
Impressions of Vienna, with appropriate music….
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My Erdős number is 3
A formal proof that my Erdős number is equal to 3.
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A Watermelon in the Desert
Sandia peak is an impressive vertical wall of granite rising above the city of Albuquerque, NM, USA.
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Jurassic Joy
The Jurrasic, a geological period during the time of the dinosaurs, was named after a beautiful mountain range.
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The Father of Genetics
Gregor Mendel: From humble monk to the father of genetics.
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Little Birds
These little birds are comfortably huddled together in their nest just outside my window.
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Dutch Deserts
Desert-like landscapes in a rainy country? Yes, thanks to the ice ages!
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Modeling Pattern Formation
Cellular automata are simple yet powerful mathematical models that generate patterns closely resembling those found in nature.
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The Power of Preservation
The Alpine ibex almost went extinct. But thanks to some kind kings, it is thriving again today.
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Kahlenberg Sunset
Now that you know why sunsets are red, here are some impressions of a gorgeous one I witnessed recently.
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Why Are Sunsets Red?
What is it that turns everything red during a sunset? Here’s the answer…
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Singapore’s Hidden Biodiversity
Ecosystem networks, keystone species, and biodiversity preservation. Cute monkeys, flying lizards, and fish living out of the water.
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The Beauty and Science of Nature
Intro to a new article series aiming to stimulate a reconnection with our natural world.
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Earthquakes Update
My yearly update on global earthquake statistics.
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A History of Autocatalytic Sets
Last August I presented a brief (12min) talk about the history of research on autocatalytic sets, a concept originally introduced by Stuart Kauffman. This talk was presented during the Stufest, a 2-day workshop held at the Santa Fe[…]
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Madelbrot Zoom
Having a bit of a cold this weekend, and didn’t have the energy to do anything more useful. So I created this fun and colorful Mandelbrot zoom. Enjoy!
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The Evolution of Robustness
In Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, the key phrase is “survival of the fittest”: those organisms that are best fit to carry out the tasks of living in their world are the ones that survive. But[…]
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Alessandro Volta’s Home Town
Had a cloudy afternoon to spare in Como, Italy. As it turns out, this is the home town of Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), the famous Italian scientist who invented the electric battery, and after whom the unit of electric[…]
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The Tooth of Time
One of the main reasons evolution can be difficult to grasp, or even accept, is the time scales involved. Biological evolution does usually not occur right in front of our eyes (other than in laboratory experiments), but happens over[…]
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Kurt Gödel: A postcard from Vienna
Kurt Gödel was one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century. He made many important contributions to mathematical logic and philosophy, but is best known for his incompleteness theorems. Loosely speaking, the theorem states that the dream[…]
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Whim of the Week – 74
What’s in a name…
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