Episode 25: Scaling Biology - Interview with Geoffrey West

Thinking Tools Podcast Episode 25 -  The idea of scaling, in biology, refers to how a biological system responds to changes in its overall size. More specifically, the properties that characterize animals–such as their metabolic rate, heart rate, and average lifespan–are systematically related to the size of the animal. But how, in a precise quantitative sense, does such biological scaling manifest? In this episode of the Thinking Tools Podcast, I speak with Dr. Geoffrey West about these and other ideas from his 2017 book, “Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies” Watch the video episode here: https://youtu.be/sHXoKURiPfc Geoffrey West is Distinguished Professor and former President of the Santa Fe Institute and an Associate Senior Fellow of Oxford University’s Green-Templeton College. He obtained his BA from Cambridge in 1961 and PhD from Stanford in 1966 where he was later on the faculty. For many years he ran high energy physics at Los Alamos National Laboratory. West is a theoretical physicist whose primary interests have been in fundamental questions ranging across physics, biology and the social sciences. His work is motivated by the search for unifying principles and simplicity underlying complexity. His research includes metabolism, growth, aging & death, sleep, cancer, ecosystems, rates of growth & innovation, and the accelerating pace of life. Most recently he has been developing a science of cities and companies, including the challenge of long-term global sustainability. West has lectured worldwide at many high profile events including Davos and TED. He has received many awards and his work featured in numerous publications, podcasts and TV productions including New York Times, Financial Times, Time, The Economist, Le Monde and Scientific American, and participated in television productions including Nova, National Geographic and the BBC. His work was selected as a breakthrough idea by the Harvard Business Review in 2006, and in 2007 he was on Time magazine's list of "100 Most Influential People in the World". Find out more about Geoffrey’s work: https://www.santafe.edu/people/profile/geoffrey-west -- Connect, Follow and Subscribe! Watch the video episode here: https://youtu.be/sHXoKURiPfc Sign up for the video version: https://mailchi.mp/d76edf98390b/sense-of-mind-newsletter-sign-up-page Link to all of our video newsletters: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC92ipyM9i9L_9yna8Jn6eM5RSQmNbSJj Subscribe to the Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC610T-s8gpOVDtAVXTZ35FQ Website: www.Senseofmindshow.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sense.ofmind/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/senseofmind By the way, the newsletter is 100% free, it has zero ads, and I will NEVER sell or give your information to third parties. Please follow, share and subscribe if you found this helpful, thanks for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/senseofmind/support