SCIENCE ON THE EDGE OF CHAOS

"Science on the Edge of Chaos" is an interactive multi-media web on complexity and chaos, including a series of 12 interactive television programs broadcast in the autumn-winter 1994/1995 and autumn-winter 1995/1996. The series introduces recent fundamental insights into chaos and complexity and examines the implications of these insights for several key areas of science and engineering. The programs are broadcast live by EuroPACE-2000 through satellite transmission using the EuroPACE-2000 and EUROSTEP network which includes 600 receiving sites. Scientists from anywhere in Europe may intervene through videophone, telephone, computermail, or other means. After transmission within the Europace 2000 network, the series will be packaged for broadcasting on public television networks.

There are six topics. For each topics there are two broadcasts. The first one introduces the field based on interviews with many of the distinguished scientists responsible which features interviews with distinguished scientists responsible for some of the major discoveries in a particular area, including Nobel laureates. Then a group of top scientists discuss in a pannel the most recent developments. Moderator is Luc Steels from the University of Brussels (VUB).

This WWW service has been set up in preparation of these programs and as a discussion and information forum surrounding the live event. It is organised around the 6 topics covered by the programs:

  1. The Strange Behavior of Matter. 11 november and 18 november 1994 (intro) & 9 december 1994 (pannel).
  2. The Origin of Life. 13 january and 20 january 1994 (intro) & 3 february 1995 (pannel).
  3. Artificial Life, Virtual Reality, and Real Robots. 17 february and 24 february 1995 & 10 march 1995
  4. The Embodied Mind. October & november 1995.
  5. Non-equilibrium Economics and Social Dynamics. December & january 1995.
  6. Cosmology after the Big Bang. February & march 1995.

For each topic, you can browse to see who is participating in the programs, background articles, annotated bibliography, links to other net services on the same topic, and software.

Additional services offered are

"Science on the Edge of Chaos" is not a popularisation of science but is nevertheless designed to be accessible to a wide audience. It intends to show that science at the moment is extremely exciting and that radically new views on nature are being explored.

At the moment the whole initative is still very much in a state of flux. Please help us to make it all happen. Everybody can participate! Mail adress for contributions, suggestions, or further information:

europace@arti.vub.ac.be