the singularity is far (singularity u presentation by bruce damer aug 2010)
TRANSCRIPT
The Singularity is FarComputing Nature
Artificial Life, Virtual Worlds & Simulation
Bruce Damerfor the Singularity University
August 3, 2010
• I. The Birth of Computing(and the Von Neumann Bottleneck)
II. The Birth of Visual Computing and Virtual Worlds (still running through the Von Neumann Bottleneck)
III. State of the Art in Simulating Nature (Physics) for Space and Chemistry
IV. Computing Nature (?)
Discussion
III. Computing Nature (?)Can Von Neumann Do It?
Conventional vs Natural ComputationSystemic Computer model by Peter J. Bentley, UCL, Digital Biology Group
Conventional Natural Deterministic Stochastic Synchronous Asynchronous
Serial Parallel Heterostatic Homoestatic
Batch Continuous Brittle Robust
Fault intolerent Fault tolerant Human-reliant Autonomous
Limited Open-ended Centralised Distributed
Precise Approximate Isolated Embodied
Linear causality Circular causality
Table 1 Features of conventional vs Natural computation
Non-living natural world supports a massive number of parallel interactions but they are finite, bounded
Living natural world supports infinitely repeatable computations in a massively parallel fashion
E-coli, a massively parallel computing universeDavid S. Goodsell from The Machinery of Life
E-coli, a massively parallel computing universe
The complexity of Cytoplasm
A cube 100nm on the side contains roughly:- 450 proteins- 30 ribosomes- 340 tRNA molecules- several mRNA molecules- 30,000 small organic molecules (amino acids, nucleotides, sugars, ATP etc)- 50,000 ions- remaining 70% is water- all in continuous interaction
Nerve cells: two orders of magnitude more complex than e-coli
So can any kind of (Von Neumann) machine simulate a whole cell?
Definitely not
Low level approximations (overhead)
How about a lot of these? Perhaps… for the equivalent
of a small volume of aqueous chemicals, Anton: 1
microsecond per month
You need this…. to originate and evolve complex life (and civilization)
Penny Boston, CONTACT Conference 2009, NASA Ames
Question: What is the computing architecture and cost of simulating a single neuron at the
molecular dynamics level?
Answer: This is beyond the current and probably subsequent two or three
generations of supercomputers, even those dedicated to MD simulation.
Result: Even excluding the “non informational/maintenance” parts of the simulation of a neuron, the high fidelity modeling of a single neuron is still a substantial computing challenge.
Therefore concepts of a Singularity as derived from science fiction (Vinge) remain wholly in the realm of
science fiction.
So how to map this computer onto this one?
Perhaps……toil for a number of decades toward a most
minimal type of “Singularity”,an Artificial Origin of Life
The EvoGrid An “artificial origin of life” in cyberspace in this Century
Origins of Life: Archaean to Cambrian1997: Digital Burgess - quest for life’s algorithmic
origins in the “Cambrian Explosion”, Biota.org
Early exemplar: Karl Sims’ Evolving Virtual Creatures (1991-4)
“Soft” Artificial Life Through the Ages: field named in the 1980s, progress through the
1990s, 2000s
Evolving Virtual Creatures by Karl SimsInspired a generation of Soft Alife developers in the 1990s-2000s
Karl Sims: Evolving Virtual Creatures
Early exemplar: Karl Sims’ Evolving Virtual Creatures (1991-4)
State of the art of “Soft” Artificial Life
Roll tape!Enter the EvoGrid
Roll Tape!
EvoGrid The Movie
The EvoGrid: conceptually a large central artificial chemistry simulation operated upon by analysis clients
What is the ‘Secret Sauce’ of the EvoGrid?
Answer: Stochastic hill-climbing
algorithm utilizing analysis, feedback
and temporal backtracking
EvoGrid Engine
Roll tape!Odd Future Applications of EvoGrids
Roll Tape!
EvoGrid Asteroid Eaters
But how realistic is this?Enter “wet” artificial life
(not synthetic biology)
Creation of life “from scratch”(ie: not Craig Venter)
The Dawn of “Wet” ALife Protocells (Monnard, Rasmussen, Bedau et al)
Model for a minimal cell
Protocells must form on their own through successive “ratchets” of complexity
Ref Pierre-Alain Monnard, FLinT
Fundamental Living Technologies LaboratoryOdense, Denmark
University of Southern Denmark, Odense
Protocells from Chemical Soups
Origins of Life the “hard way””
Your chemical origins of life computing equipment
Micelle SimulationExploring Life’s Origins Project (Harvard)
Micelle Division
Radically new chemical life cycles
feeding
light (hv)
heating
containerdivision
informationreplication
metabolicconversion
addition of resources
Roll tape!FLinT Protocell Life Cycle (draft!)
Roll Tape!
Radically new chemical life cycles
Roll tape!But what does a Whole Cell look like?Harvard’s Inner Life of a Cell
Roll Tape!
Harvard’s Inner Life of a Cell
Will we create a digital or in vitro primordial soup any time soon?
Closing Thought
Resources and Acknowledgements & Discussion Project EvoGrid at: http://www.evogrid.orgProject Biota & Podcast at: http://www.biota.org DigitalSpace 3D simulations and all (open) source code at: http://www.digitalspace.com
We would also like to thank NASA and many others for funding support for this work. Other acknowledgements include: Dr. Richard Gordon at the University of Manitoba, Tom Barbalet, DM3D Studios, Peter Newman, Ryan Norkus, SMARTLab, Peter Bentley, University College London, FLiNT, Exploring Life’s Origins Project, Scientific American Frontiers, DigiBarn Computer Museum, The Shelby White and Leon Levy Archives Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, USA, and S. Gross.