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Wim Hordijk

is an independent and interdisciplinary scientist interested in the origin and evolution of life.

Wim Hordijk is an independent and interdisciplinary scientist interested in the origin and evolution of life. After spending several formative years as a graduate student at the Santa Fe Institute, and earning a PhD in computer science from the University of New Mexico, USA, Wim has worked on many research and computing projects at different universities and research institutes all over the world. A wandering scientist by choice, he has collaborated with biologists, physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists, chemists, and also an archaeologist. He currently holds a senior fellowship at the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research in Klosterneuburg, Austria.Wim is also an enthusiastic popular science writer, with contributions to (among others) The Scientist, Plus magazine, and TVOL. You can follow his research and writings on Twitter (@WanderingWim) or on his personal website at www.WorldWideWanderings.net

Authored by

Wim Hordijk

September 10, 2018

The Evolution of Emergent Computation

Many systems in nature consist of a large number of relatively simple units that interact only locally, and without a central control, yet the system as a whole can produce intricate globally coordinated behaviors.

Biology

Technology

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July 16, 2018

The Evolutionary Roots of Irrationality

Homo Economicus is perhaps nothing more than an illusion. Instead, the mirror that behavioral economics and evolutionary psychology put in front of us shows us our real selves, social norms and irrational behavior included.

Economy

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April 6, 2018

The Mathematics of Kindness

Altruistic behavior seems abundant in nature, but how did it evolve? George Price had the answer nearly fifty years ago.

Biology

Morality

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January 29, 2018

Evolution as a Problem Solver in Computer Science

In computer science, there are many problems that are known to be "hard." What this means is that there is no efficient method to solve such problems exactly. However, we can use a clever computer algorithm to evolve an approximate solution, using ideas from real biological evolution.

Biology

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September 18, 2017

The Origin of Life: A Selfish Act or a Cooperative Effort?

Life arose as a cooperative effort among diverse molecule types in catalytically closed and self-sustaining chemical reaction networks. There is grandeur in this view of (the origin of) life.

Biology

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June 26, 2017

Evolution Is As Real As Gravity

Evolution by natural selection is much more than just a hypothesis, and is as much a valid and well-accepted scientific theory as the theory of gravitation.

Biology

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