#51: Information, pleasure, and the cosmos

I am so grateful the universe decided to allow Maria and I to cross paths. We met at Roadmakers this April! And I'm convinced she's a walking encyclopedia...but also with a wonderful personality AND with extra pieces of luminous stardust in her soul ;)

Maria is a biologist by trade, and her passion boils over in this next piece. Thank you for sharing with us, Maria! 

-Amanda 

Maria Souza     pqnabe@gmail.com

Information, pleasure, and the cosmos

Neuroscientist Irving Biederman (University of Southern California) and his colleagues have identified a mechanism in human brains that leads us to one clear conclusion: we are designed to be ‘infovores’.

This is because we have a reward system that associates the release of innate opioids with acquiring new information. I have always been a very curious person, and indeed I am my happiest when I’m finding things out.

When I read Prof. Biederman’s team’s work, I had a big ‘a-ha!’ moment. I immediately understood that I was naturally hooked on being an ‘infovore’, for life. I had finally understood my scientific path.

Another key finding of theirs is that “we are always seeking out novel but also richly interpretable experiences”. So, when one’s being curious leads one to greater connections and context, then one’s in an even greater natural high. I can’t even begin to express how beautiful that is: the greater the knowledge with meaning, the happier we are!

My ‘a-ha!’ moment continued: humans are packed with living biological information (DNA), our brains are addicted to diverse kinds of information, and the one emergence property that arises from brain cells is consciousness, which makes us aware of all information (also mindful of what we don’t know - yet!). Now, that’s a feedback loop!

But, why are we ‘infovores’?!

Because we then have a joyful hunger to learn about the environment and to get better at navigating it, which is a fundamental trait for our DNA’s survival. However, to me, Carl Sagan explained the coolest reason of all: being made of stardust, “we are a way for the cosmos to know itself”.

I remain forever elated about doing so. Happy discoveries!

References:
Biederman's et al.: http://geon.usc.edu/~biederman/publications/Biederman_Vessel_2006.pdf

Sagan's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLigBYhdUDs

Maria's first-person bio:

I think of science and of beauty in dance, all the time. My job is to provide UNICEF with a better way to create, manage, and share knowledge to improve the lives of children, everywhere. I find the most joy in my work when it's done with laughter and when I get people excited and thrilled with stuff they didn’t know they’d end up being passionate about.