Interview: A Missing Law of Nature with Bob Hazen and Mike Wong | Particles of Thought

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" is available now: https://www.amazon.com/Times-Second-A... 🎧 Available on your favorite podcast platforms Amazon Music: https://bit.ly/4msqqby Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Hz8rkI Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4oB3Ten If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps new listeners find the show and allows us to continue creating great science content. Thank you for your support! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "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 #podcast #sciencepodcast 📰 Stay up to date on the latest science discoveries, full episodes, articles, videos, and more by signing up for NOVA's newsletter here: https://to.pbs.org/4brCC7Y 🛍️ Shop official NOVA 50th anniversary merch: https://nova-shop.org/ Follow on social for more NOVA content Twitter:   / novapbs   Instagram:   / novapbs   TikTok:   / novapbs