chemistry – An Autonomous Agent

Order Out of Chaos – Ilya Prigogine and Isabelle Stengers

anautonomousagent — Sat, 13 Jan 2018 18:03:08 +0000

A little bit of quantum physics, chemistry, biology and philosophy all rolled up into one important book. Order Out of Chaos (La Nouvelle Alliance as originally published in French) by Ilya Prigogine and Isabelle Stengers is a paradigm changing book. The first parts of the book are an excellent overview on the historical development of science – the evolution of dynamics and the discovery of thermodynamics and their relationship is particularly fascinating.

Once the reader gets to the later parts, it becomes somewhat abstract and the reader may not be able to get through it without a background in chemistry and physics. Chapter Nine, when the phrase “Order Out of Chaos” is developed, is difficult. Despite this, it is much more accessible than a scientific paper on the subject. It may take two or three reads to fully absorb the ideas presented. Overall it is one of my favorite reads.

Some important conclusions from the book:

The arrow of time objectively exists and it arises from non-equilibrium and irreversibility at the microscopic level.
The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics can be understood as a selection principal. It operates as a negative on allowable initial conditions, in other words it restricts systems with certain initial conditions from existing.
Time travel to the past is not allowed by thermodynamics because time reversal requires infinite information concerning the initial conditions of the system, an impossibility to an observer in the universe. This implies that information is closely connected to irreversibility and time.
Thermodynamics can be expressed from dynamics through the idea of correlations and internal-time operators. Thus, dynamics has been extended once again (general relativity, quantum mechanics, and chaos theory).
The universe as a whole is in a non-equilibrium state and it is an irreversible process with pockets of reversible dynamics.
In general, one of the goals of the authors is to make dynamics and thermodynamics consistent with each other.

PiKHAL: A Chemical Love Story and TiHKAL: The Continuation – Alexander and Ann Shulgin

anautonomousagent — Sat, 14 Oct 2017 02:46:19 +0000

Let me provide a context so that you may understand my amazement with the chemical explorations of Alexander Shulgin. Did you know that the two principal neurotransmitters in the human body are dopamine and serotonin? Did you know that they belong to the phenethylamine and tryptamine chemical families, respectively? I find this simple observation to be of fundamental importance in understanding the human mind/body relationship. And now consider that Ann and Alex Shulgins’ books: PiKHAL (Phenethylamines I have known and loved) and TiKHAL (Tryptamines I have known and loved) explore both these chemical families and their effects on the human mind and body. Quick summary of well-known psychedelic chemicals:

Phenethylamines	Tryptamines
Dopamine	Serotonin
Mescaline	DMT
MDA	Psilocybin
MDMA	Psilocin
2C Family	Ibogaine
LSD?	LSD

LSD is complex and has both chemical structures, but most people emphasize that the effects of LSD are related primarily to its tryptamine backbone and interaction with human serotonin receptors.

Ann and Alexander Shulgin’s books are a groundbreaking revelation for their accounts of psychedelic exploration, therapy, and spiritual development. They are a mix of essays and stories. You will not regret reading the books and learning about the chemicals referenced in the second half of the books.

An interesting note: In PiKHAL, the fictional character Adam Fisher is based on Leo Zeff, a talented psychotherapist who worked with MDMA; you can read all about his therapy work in The Secret Chief Revealed by Myron J. Stolaroff.

TianChi

anautonomousagent — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 16:23:10 +0000

TianChi is a good herbal supplement for overall health and to maintain the energy centers of the body, i.e. the adrenal glands. I have had a really pleasant experience and a noticeable improvement in wellness and mental clarity. I didn’t try it because I was having any difficulties or problems with my health. Rather, I find herbs and their influence on human chemistry to be worth experiencing. Even if you are not interested in it, I would research any of the herbs it contains and perhaps add some of them to your diet. Roger Drummer is the formulator of the blend.

Here is the list of herbs which are contained in TianChi:

Albizzia (Albizzia julibrissin)
Anemerrhna
Ashwagandha (Sensoril)
Astragalus
Cistanche
Clubmoss (Huperzia serrata)
Cocoa
Ecklonia Bicyclis (Arame)
Eluthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus)
Epimedium
Eucommia
Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica)
Green Tea (Soy Lecithin)
He Shou Wu (Fallopia multiflora)
Licorice Root
Lycium
Polygala Root
Reishi (Lingzhi mushroom)
Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea)
Schizandra (Schisandra chinensis)
Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana)

125 Great Science Videos

anautonomousagent — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 03:00:00 +0000

This website, here, contains 125 YouTube videos on astronomy, physics, biology, chemistry, geology, psychology, and math.

YouTube Channel – ScienceTV and Best0fScience

anautonomousagent — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 07:08:00 +0000

I came across these two YouTube channels — ScienceTV and Best0fScience. They contain cool visualizations of many topics in astronomy, physics, chemisty, evolution and biology.

Origins of Order – Stuart Kauffman

anautonomousagent — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 06:41:00 +0000

Origins of Order, by Stuart Kauffman, provides a new look at evolution through natural selection. Instead of holding that the main creator of order is genetic drift with Natural Selection, Kauffman explores the idea that order can spontaneously form under various conditions in the natural world. Kauffman also emphasizes the importance of co-evolution among organisms in creating complex evolutionary systems. All of these ideas are explored through the mathematical tool of fitness landscapes.

The book, although long and dense, provides deep insights into the nature of life and evolution. The concepts presented involve mathematics, computer science, chemistry, and biology. I would recommend this book if the reader likes these topics and has enough time (or is fast reader). (ISBN-13: 978-0195079517)

BBC Chemistry: A Volatile History

anautonomousagent — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 06:23:00 +0000

The BBC produced an educational documentary on the history of Chemistry entitled Chemistry: A Volatile History. Here is the series information link and here is a link to Part 1 of 6. Or try this link.

The Emergent Fool

anautonomousagent — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 06:17:00 +0000

After searching for images of Adjacent Possible, I ran across a blog called The Emergent Fool. The author has a post on the Adjacent Possible with an interesting picture:

The blog also contains many articles on economics and emergence. Topics I love. I will have to take some time to read through this blog.

Cosmos (series) – Carl Sagan

anautonomousagent — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 19:38:00 +0000

A great summary of the human endeavor: Cosmos. Carl Sagan does a wonderful job outlining the history of the universe. After watching the series, a viewer will have gained a deep insight into everything. This series would be a perfect choice for high-school students; I am surprised I only heard of it recently. It’s a must see for everyone.

Watch on YouTube or Hulu.