Christopher W. Lynn
@chriswlynn.bsky.social
Statistical physics of the brain 🧠 & other complex systems 🦠 | Asst Prof of Physics & QBio at Yale
X: @ChrisWLynn
Lab: lynnlab.yale.edu/
X: @ChrisWLynn
Lab: lynnlab.yale.edu/
Pinned
Statistical physics of large-scale neural activity with loops | PNAS
As experiments advance to record from tens of thousands of neurons, statistical physics
provides a framework for understanding how collective activ...
www.pnas.org
First paper from the lab! 🤠
Understanding the statistical physics of the brain is hard (in part) because statistical physics is hard. We find a class of max ent models that can be solved EXACTLY in very large neural systems
Led by the awesome David Carcamo www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Understanding the statistical physics of the brain is hard (in part) because statistical physics is hard. We find a class of max ent models that can be solved EXACTLY in very large neural systems
Led by the awesome David Carcamo www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
First paper from the lab! 🤠
Understanding the statistical physics of the brain is hard (in part) because statistical physics is hard. We find a class of max ent models that can be solved EXACTLY in very large neural systems
Led by the awesome David Carcamo www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Understanding the statistical physics of the brain is hard (in part) because statistical physics is hard. We find a class of max ent models that can be solved EXACTLY in very large neural systems
Led by the awesome David Carcamo www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Statistical physics of large-scale neural activity with loops | PNAS
As experiments advance to record from tens of thousands of neurons, statistical physics
provides a framework for understanding how collective activ...
www.pnas.org
October 10, 2025 at 3:46 PM
First paper from the lab! 🤠
Understanding the statistical physics of the brain is hard (in part) because statistical physics is hard. We find a class of max ent models that can be solved EXACTLY in very large neural systems
Led by the awesome David Carcamo www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Understanding the statistical physics of the brain is hard (in part) because statistical physics is hard. We find a class of max ent models that can be solved EXACTLY in very large neural systems
Led by the awesome David Carcamo www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
WTI's Inspiring Speaker Series continues this week with Timothy Lillicrap, “Model-based reinforcement language for reasoning in games and beyond”
10.9.25 | 10 – 11:15a
100 College St, Workshop 1116
🔗 wti.yale.edu/event/2025-10/inspiring-speaker-tim-lillicrap
All Yale community members are welcome.
10.9.25 | 10 – 11:15a
100 College St, Workshop 1116
🔗 wti.yale.edu/event/2025-10/inspiring-speaker-tim-lillicrap
All Yale community members are welcome.
October 8, 2025 at 5:00 PM
WTI's Inspiring Speaker Series continues this week with Timothy Lillicrap, “Model-based reinforcement language for reasoning in games and beyond”
10.9.25 | 10 – 11:15a
100 College St, Workshop 1116
🔗 wti.yale.edu/event/2025-10/inspiring-speaker-tim-lillicrap
All Yale community members are welcome.
10.9.25 | 10 – 11:15a
100 College St, Workshop 1116
🔗 wti.yale.edu/event/2025-10/inspiring-speaker-tim-lillicrap
All Yale community members are welcome.
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
Adding loops into a genome is a complicated and costly business for a cell. New findings suggest that it may be the reason that ancient life became complex. @philipcball.bsky.social reports:
www.quantamagazine.org/loops-of-dna...
www.quantamagazine.org/loops-of-dna...
Loops of DNA Equipped Ancient Life To Become Complex | Quanta Magazine
New work shows that physical folding of the genome to control genes located far away may have been an early evolutionary development.
www.quantamagazine.org
October 8, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Adding loops into a genome is a complicated and costly business for a cell. New findings suggest that it may be the reason that ancient life became complex. @philipcball.bsky.social reports:
www.quantamagazine.org/loops-of-dna...
www.quantamagazine.org/loops-of-dna...
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
I thought we would never work on gamma oscillations again, but I was wrong 🤷♀️ So happy to see this work out in @nature.com! This was a truly epic project spearheaded by @q-perrenoud.bsky.social. Gamma isn't always an oscillation, but it's critical for sensory encoding and perceptual performance 🧠
(1/8) My latest study is out in @nature.com ! Kudos to coauthors especially @jess-cardin.bsky.social and to @kavliatyale.bsky.social and @wutsaiyale.bsky.social for support. We find that gamma power in mouse visual cortex is caused by brief events of visual processing www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Flexible perceptual encoding by discrete gamma events - Nature
Using a new analytical method for tracking gamma band events in mouse visual cortex, flexible encoding of visual information according to behavioural context is shown.
www.nature.com
October 8, 2025 at 5:59 PM
I thought we would never work on gamma oscillations again, but I was wrong 🤷♀️ So happy to see this work out in @nature.com! This was a truly epic project spearheaded by @q-perrenoud.bsky.social. Gamma isn't always an oscillation, but it's critical for sensory encoding and perceptual performance 🧠
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
(1/8) My latest study is out in @nature.com ! Kudos to coauthors especially @jess-cardin.bsky.social and to @kavliatyale.bsky.social and @wutsaiyale.bsky.social for support. We find that gamma power in mouse visual cortex is caused by brief events of visual processing www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Flexible perceptual encoding by discrete gamma events - Nature
Using a new analytical method for tracking gamma band events in mouse visual cortex, flexible encoding of visual information according to behavioural context is shown.
www.nature.com
October 8, 2025 at 5:04 PM
(1/8) My latest study is out in @nature.com ! Kudos to coauthors especially @jess-cardin.bsky.social and to @kavliatyale.bsky.social and @wutsaiyale.bsky.social for support. We find that gamma power in mouse visual cortex is caused by brief events of visual processing www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
Final week to apply for the 2026 SFI Complexity Postdoctoral Fellowships
If you're an early-career scholar and passionate about collaborative, transdisciplinary research beyond traditional departments, this is the postdoc fellowship for you.
Deadline: Oct 1, 2025
Apply: santafe.edu/sfifellowship
If you're an early-career scholar and passionate about collaborative, transdisciplinary research beyond traditional departments, this is the postdoc fellowship for you.
Deadline: Oct 1, 2025
Apply: santafe.edu/sfifellowship
September 22, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Final week to apply for the 2026 SFI Complexity Postdoctoral Fellowships
If you're an early-career scholar and passionate about collaborative, transdisciplinary research beyond traditional departments, this is the postdoc fellowship for you.
Deadline: Oct 1, 2025
Apply: santafe.edu/sfifellowship
If you're an early-career scholar and passionate about collaborative, transdisciplinary research beyond traditional departments, this is the postdoc fellowship for you.
Deadline: Oct 1, 2025
Apply: santafe.edu/sfifellowship
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
Biological physics bridges the complex phenomena of life with minimal quantitative models from physics. How should we teach biophysics?
Join us for an online panel on "Teaching and Learning Biological Physics" (Sep 17, 5:30pm ET).
Registration:
Join us for an online panel on "Teaching and Learning Biological Physics" (Sep 17, 5:30pm ET).
Registration:
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Teaching and Learning Biological Physics. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Teaching and Learning Biological Physics. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
apsphysics.zoom.us
September 5, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Biological physics bridges the complex phenomena of life with minimal quantitative models from physics. How should we teach biophysics?
Join us for an online panel on "Teaching and Learning Biological Physics" (Sep 17, 5:30pm ET).
Registration:
Join us for an online panel on "Teaching and Learning Biological Physics" (Sep 17, 5:30pm ET).
Registration:
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
Have a striking image of your biophysics research? 🐭🐒🐛🪰🦠Submit it to the DBIO Image Contest!
The winning images will be advertised on shirts and other media at the 2026 Global Physics Summit.
Submit here:
The winning images will be advertised on shirts and other media at the 2026 Global Physics Summit.
Submit here:
forms.gle
September 5, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Have a striking image of your biophysics research? 🐭🐒🐛🪰🦠Submit it to the DBIO Image Contest!
The winning images will be advertised on shirts and other media at the 2026 Global Physics Summit.
Submit here:
The winning images will be advertised on shirts and other media at the 2026 Global Physics Summit.
Submit here:
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
Interested in organizing a session at the 2026 APS Global Physics Summit? It's pain free and a great way to get involved in organizing! We're taking nominations for invited DBIO Symposia through August 24:
Organize a DBIO Invited Symposium at the 2026 Global Physics Summit
We are seeking nominations for 'Invited Symposium' to enhance the DBIO program for the upcoming Global Physics Summit. An invited symposium consists of five 36-minute invited talks related to a topic ...
docs.google.com
August 12, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Interested in organizing a session at the 2026 APS Global Physics Summit? It's pain free and a great way to get involved in organizing! We're taking nominations for invited DBIO Symposia through August 24:
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
It was an honor to write this, but also great fun. A chance to look back at the classics, and think about the path forward. #Physics is a beautiful human endeavor. journals.aps.org/prxlife/abst...
Emergence of Brains
This review traces how ideas from statistical physics evolved into foundational models of neural computation, shaping modern AI and culminating in the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics.
journals.aps.org
August 9, 2025 at 2:19 PM
It was an honor to write this, but also great fun. A chance to look back at the classics, and think about the path forward. #Physics is a beautiful human endeavor. journals.aps.org/prxlife/abst...
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
Republicans want states to cut food aid errors. Their bill could do the opposite: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/u...
Republicans Want States to Cut Food Aid Errors. Their Bill Could Do the Opposite.
www.nytimes.com
July 2, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Republicans want states to cut food aid errors. Their bill could do the opposite: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/u...
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
Thrilled to see our TinyRNN paper in @nature! We show how tiny RNNs predict choices of individual subjects accurately while staying fully interpretable. This approach can transform how we model cognitive processes in both healthy and disordered decisions. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Discovering cognitive strategies with tiny recurrent neural networks - Nature
Modelling biological decision-making with tiny recurrent neural networks enables more accurate predictions of animal choices than classical cognitive models and offers insights into the underlying cog...
doi.org
July 2, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Thrilled to see our TinyRNN paper in @nature! We show how tiny RNNs predict choices of individual subjects accurately while staying fully interpretable. This approach can transform how we model cognitive processes in both healthy and disordered decisions. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
Interested in coarse-graining, irreversibility, or neural activity in the hippocampus?
If so, check out our new preprint exploring how maximizing the irreversibility preserved from microscopic dynamics leads to interpretable coarse-grained descriptions of biological systems!
If so, check out our new preprint exploring how maximizing the irreversibility preserved from microscopic dynamics leads to interpretable coarse-grained descriptions of biological systems!
Biology consumes energy at the microscale to power functions across all scales: From proteins and cells to entire populations of animals.
Led by @qiweiyu.bsky.social and @mleighton.bsky.social, we study how coarse-graining can help to bridge this gap 👇🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2506.01909
Led by @qiweiyu.bsky.social and @mleighton.bsky.social, we study how coarse-graining can help to bridge this gap 👇🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2506.01909
June 5, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Interested in coarse-graining, irreversibility, or neural activity in the hippocampus?
If so, check out our new preprint exploring how maximizing the irreversibility preserved from microscopic dynamics leads to interpretable coarse-grained descriptions of biological systems!
If so, check out our new preprint exploring how maximizing the irreversibility preserved from microscopic dynamics leads to interpretable coarse-grained descriptions of biological systems!
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
Living systems operate nonequilibrium processes across many scales in space and time. Is there a model-free way to bridge the descriptions at different levels of coarse-graining? Here we find that preserving the evidence of time-reversal symmetry breaking works remarkably well!
Biology consumes energy at the microscale to power functions across all scales: From proteins and cells to entire populations of animals.
Led by @qiweiyu.bsky.social and @mleighton.bsky.social, we study how coarse-graining can help to bridge this gap 👇🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2506.01909
Led by @qiweiyu.bsky.social and @mleighton.bsky.social, we study how coarse-graining can help to bridge this gap 👇🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2506.01909
June 5, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Living systems operate nonequilibrium processes across many scales in space and time. Is there a model-free way to bridge the descriptions at different levels of coarse-graining? Here we find that preserving the evidence of time-reversal symmetry breaking works remarkably well!
Biology consumes energy at the microscale to power functions across all scales: From proteins and cells to entire populations of animals.
Led by @qiweiyu.bsky.social and @mleighton.bsky.social, we study how coarse-graining can help to bridge this gap 👇🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2506.01909
Led by @qiweiyu.bsky.social and @mleighton.bsky.social, we study how coarse-graining can help to bridge this gap 👇🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2506.01909
June 5, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Biology consumes energy at the microscale to power functions across all scales: From proteins and cells to entire populations of animals.
Led by @qiweiyu.bsky.social and @mleighton.bsky.social, we study how coarse-graining can help to bridge this gap 👇🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2506.01909
Led by @qiweiyu.bsky.social and @mleighton.bsky.social, we study how coarse-graining can help to bridge this gap 👇🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2506.01909
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
Science is built on public trust, federal funding, and academic freedom. All of these are currently being eroded, but what can we do?
Join us for an online panel on "Being a Voice for Science" (June 11, 2-3pm ET).
Info and registration: engage.aps.org/dbio/resourc...
Join us for an online panel on "Being a Voice for Science" (June 11, 2-3pm ET).
Info and registration: engage.aps.org/dbio/resourc...
Resources - Unit - DBIO
engage.aps.org
June 2, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Science is built on public trust, federal funding, and academic freedom. All of these are currently being eroded, but what can we do?
Join us for an online panel on "Being a Voice for Science" (June 11, 2-3pm ET).
Info and registration: engage.aps.org/dbio/resourc...
Join us for an online panel on "Being a Voice for Science" (June 11, 2-3pm ET).
Info and registration: engage.aps.org/dbio/resourc...
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
Apply or nominate for DBIO awards by June 2! Awards include:
APS Fellowship
Max Delbrück Prize in Biological Physics
Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Biological Physics
APS Fellowship
Max Delbrück Prize in Biological Physics
Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Biological Physics
May 16, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Apply or nominate for DBIO awards by June 2! Awards include:
APS Fellowship
Max Delbrück Prize in Biological Physics
Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Biological Physics
APS Fellowship
Max Delbrück Prize in Biological Physics
Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Biological Physics
When constructing models of the world, we aim for good compressions: models that are as accurate as possible with as few details as possible. But which details should we include in a model?
An answer lies in the "minimax entropy" principle 👇
arxiv.org/abs/2505.01607
An answer lies in the "minimax entropy" principle 👇
arxiv.org/abs/2505.01607
May 16, 2025 at 5:14 PM
When constructing models of the world, we aim for good compressions: models that are as accurate as possible with as few details as possible. But which details should we include in a model?
An answer lies in the "minimax entropy" principle 👇
arxiv.org/abs/2505.01607
An answer lies in the "minimax entropy" principle 👇
arxiv.org/abs/2505.01607
What is the connection between information theory and statistical physics? And how can this connection help us understand the brain?
Final installment with the Simplifying Complexity podcast (
@bhcomplexity.bsky.social)
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Final installment with the Simplifying Complexity podcast (
@bhcomplexity.bsky.social)
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
What can physics tell us about the brain? - Part 2
Podcast Episode · Simplifying Complexity · 05/12/2025 · 31m
podcasts.apple.com
May 16, 2025 at 2:23 PM
What is the connection between information theory and statistical physics? And how can this connection help us understand the brain?
Final installment with the Simplifying Complexity podcast (
@bhcomplexity.bsky.social)
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Final installment with the Simplifying Complexity podcast (
@bhcomplexity.bsky.social)
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Statistical physics and information theory may seem daunting, but with a little insight they can become intuitive and are actually deeply related.
A fun chat on the Simplifying Complexity podcast (@bhcomplexity.bsky.social)
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
A fun chat on the Simplifying Complexity podcast (@bhcomplexity.bsky.social)
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
What can physics tell us about the brain? - Part 1
Podcast Episode · Simplifying Complexity · 04/28/2025 · 35m
podcasts.apple.com
April 28, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Statistical physics and information theory may seem daunting, but with a little insight they can become intuitive and are actually deeply related.
A fun chat on the Simplifying Complexity podcast (@bhcomplexity.bsky.social)
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
A fun chat on the Simplifying Complexity podcast (@bhcomplexity.bsky.social)
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Reposted by Christopher W. Lynn
Hear Christopher Lynn from Yale on the latest episode of #SimplifyingComplexity.
How can we use the ideas of complexity and network science to better understand the brain?
Apple: buff.ly/3VTjG9I
Spotify: buff.ly/3WaR9MA
🧪⚛️ #complex #complexity #ComplexSystems #ComplexityScience
How can we use the ideas of complexity and network science to better understand the brain?
Apple: buff.ly/3VTjG9I
Spotify: buff.ly/3WaR9MA
🧪⚛️ #complex #complexity #ComplexSystems #ComplexityScience
April 28, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Hear Christopher Lynn from Yale on the latest episode of #SimplifyingComplexity.
How can we use the ideas of complexity and network science to better understand the brain?
Apple: buff.ly/3VTjG9I
Spotify: buff.ly/3WaR9MA
🧪⚛️ #complex #complexity #ComplexSystems #ComplexityScience
How can we use the ideas of complexity and network science to better understand the brain?
Apple: buff.ly/3VTjG9I
Spotify: buff.ly/3WaR9MA
🧪⚛️ #complex #complexity #ComplexSystems #ComplexityScience
Our understanding of neural computation -- both in the brain and artificial networks -- is founded on an assumption: That neurons fire in response to a linear sum of inputs
We systematically test this assumption 👇 arxiv.org/abs/2504.08637
We systematically test this assumption 👇 arxiv.org/abs/2504.08637
April 16, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Our understanding of neural computation -- both in the brain and artificial networks -- is founded on an assumption: That neurons fire in response to a linear sum of inputs
We systematically test this assumption 👇 arxiv.org/abs/2504.08637
We systematically test this assumption 👇 arxiv.org/abs/2504.08637
The Lynn Group is now on Bluesky! 🕺
We explore how structure and function emerge in complex living systems, particularly the brain. 🧠 We take a statistical physics perspective: seeking to identify the key minimal ingredients that combine to produce collective macroscopic phenomena
We explore how structure and function emerge in complex living systems, particularly the brain. 🧠 We take a statistical physics perspective: seeking to identify the key minimal ingredients that combine to produce collective macroscopic phenomena
April 16, 2025 at 12:55 AM
The Lynn Group is now on Bluesky! 🕺
We explore how structure and function emerge in complex living systems, particularly the brain. 🧠 We take a statistical physics perspective: seeking to identify the key minimal ingredients that combine to produce collective macroscopic phenomena
We explore how structure and function emerge in complex living systems, particularly the brain. 🧠 We take a statistical physics perspective: seeking to identify the key minimal ingredients that combine to produce collective macroscopic phenomena