Fernando Rosas
@frosas.bsky.social
Emergence, synergy, brains, AI safety, mental health
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
Jonny Smallwood @themindwanders.bsky.social was a beloved friend and mentor. He was taken from us too soon. His was a beautiful mind who understood the beauty of minds. As ever before, his kind voice guides me and his work will continue. We miss you Jonny. www.cbs.mpg.de/news/obituar...
Obituary – Jonathan Smallwood
www.cbs.mpg.de
November 13, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Jonny Smallwood @themindwanders.bsky.social was a beloved friend and mentor. He was taken from us too soon. His was a beautiful mind who understood the beauty of minds. As ever before, his kind voice guides me and his work will continue. We miss you Jonny. www.cbs.mpg.de/news/obituar...
A series of recordings from the second rendition of the best conference on theoretical AI alignment (ILIAD) just dropped!
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
ILIAD 2: ODYSSEY (2025) - YouTube
youtube.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:02 PM
A series of recordings from the second rendition of the best conference on theoretical AI alignment (ILIAD) just dropped!
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
1/🧵 Out today in @frontiersin.bsky.social : “Consciousness science: where are we, where are we going, and what if we get there?” By @axc.bsky.social @liadmudrik.bsky.social, & me (a CIFAR & @erc.europa.eu production 🧠). www.frontiersin.org/journals/sci...
Advancing consciousness science
Defining new directions in consciousness research and exploring implications for medicine, technology, and ethics
www.frontiersin.org
October 30, 2025 at 12:00 PM
1/🧵 Out today in @frontiersin.bsky.social : “Consciousness science: where are we, where are we going, and what if we get there?” By @axc.bsky.social @liadmudrik.bsky.social, & me (a CIFAR & @erc.europa.eu production 🧠). www.frontiersin.org/journals/sci...
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
🚨The Formalism-Implementation Gap in RL research🚨
Lots of progress in RL research over last 10 years, but too much performance-driven => overfitting to benchmarks (like the ALE).
1⃣ Let's advance science of RL
2⃣ Let's be explicit about how benchmarks map to formalism
1/X
Lots of progress in RL research over last 10 years, but too much performance-driven => overfitting to benchmarks (like the ALE).
1⃣ Let's advance science of RL
2⃣ Let's be explicit about how benchmarks map to formalism
1/X
October 28, 2025 at 1:56 PM
🚨The Formalism-Implementation Gap in RL research🚨
Lots of progress in RL research over last 10 years, but too much performance-driven => overfitting to benchmarks (like the ALE).
1⃣ Let's advance science of RL
2⃣ Let's be explicit about how benchmarks map to formalism
1/X
Lots of progress in RL research over last 10 years, but too much performance-driven => overfitting to benchmarks (like the ALE).
1⃣ Let's advance science of RL
2⃣ Let's be explicit about how benchmarks map to formalism
1/X
It makes sense that evolution selected neural circuits that make us to “want” certain things, as that ensures robust proactive behaviour…
But why that wanting has to be experienced at all, instead of acting simply as an unconscious compulsion?
(I think of this as the “little hard problem”)
But why that wanting has to be experienced at all, instead of acting simply as an unconscious compulsion?
(I think of this as the “little hard problem”)
October 28, 2025 at 7:47 PM
It makes sense that evolution selected neural circuits that make us to “want” certain things, as that ensures robust proactive behaviour…
But why that wanting has to be experienced at all, instead of acting simply as an unconscious compulsion?
(I think of this as the “little hard problem”)
But why that wanting has to be experienced at all, instead of acting simply as an unconscious compulsion?
(I think of this as the “little hard problem”)
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
Is the the neuroimaging community (broadly conceived) submitting to 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 again?????
Not to be publication police but the shift had seemed major 1-2 years ago.
Looking at the editorial board it seems to have serious scientists once more.
Curious about thoughts of the community.
Not to be publication police but the shift had seemed major 1-2 years ago.
Looking at the editorial board it seems to have serious scientists once more.
Curious about thoughts of the community.
October 21, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Is the the neuroimaging community (broadly conceived) submitting to 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 again?????
Not to be publication police but the shift had seemed major 1-2 years ago.
Looking at the editorial board it seems to have serious scientists once more.
Curious about thoughts of the community.
Not to be publication police but the shift had seemed major 1-2 years ago.
Looking at the editorial board it seems to have serious scientists once more.
Curious about thoughts of the community.
🥲
The costs of the UK’s Global Talent Visa looks a trifle high in comparison to competitor countries - largely through the Immigration Health Surcharge (which critics say is a form of double taxation as they contribute to the NHS through normal tax on their earnings)
October 21, 2025 at 9:56 AM
🥲
I deeply sympathise with every word in this post 👇🏽
When I was an undergrad, I saw a talk by Oliver Sacks about music. During the Q&A, someone asked Sacks if he thought science would reveal the deepest mysteries of art. Sacks (a rare humanist among scientists) said that he doubted it, at which Eric Kandel (the host) leaped up and grabbed the mic.
October 15, 2025 at 1:55 PM
I deeply sympathise with every word in this post 👇🏽
If you love theory and want to make a difference for AI alignment, please apply and join us!
pibbss.ai/pibbssxiliad...
(Please share around!)
pibbss.ai/pibbssxiliad...
(Please share around!)
https://pibbss.ai/pibbssxiliad-r…
October 10, 2025 at 4:59 AM
If you love theory and want to make a difference for AI alignment, please apply and join us!
pibbss.ai/pibbssxiliad...
(Please share around!)
pibbss.ai/pibbssxiliad...
(Please share around!)
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
🚨New paper: arxiv.org/abs/2510.05786
*Shapley values beyond game theory*
We show that Shapley values aren’t just about dividing payoffs--they are the right way to project down any higher-order structure.
We generalise them, and Möbius inversions, in important ways: 🧵
*Shapley values beyond game theory*
We show that Shapley values aren’t just about dividing payoffs--they are the right way to project down any higher-order structure.
We generalise them, and Möbius inversions, in important ways: 🧵
Möbius transforms and Shapley values for vector-valued functions on weighted directed acyclic multigraphs
We generalize the concept of Möbius inversion and Shapley values to directed acyclic multigraphs and weighted versions thereof. We further allow value functions (games) and thus their Möbius transform...
arxiv.org
October 8, 2025 at 2:49 PM
🚨New paper: arxiv.org/abs/2510.05786
*Shapley values beyond game theory*
We show that Shapley values aren’t just about dividing payoffs--they are the right way to project down any higher-order structure.
We generalise them, and Möbius inversions, in important ways: 🧵
*Shapley values beyond game theory*
We show that Shapley values aren’t just about dividing payoffs--they are the right way to project down any higher-order structure.
We generalise them, and Möbius inversions, in important ways: 🧵
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
After a long time in the making, my paper on nonequilibrium thermodynamics of Darwinian evolution has been published in Philosophical Transactions B. Updated version: arxiv.org/abs/2112.02809
October 7, 2025 at 9:33 AM
After a long time in the making, my paper on nonequilibrium thermodynamics of Darwinian evolution has been published in Philosophical Transactions B. Updated version: arxiv.org/abs/2112.02809
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
The usual explanation for great music is that it's predictable but not too predictable. But there's more to it, said @frosas.bsky.social at #ALIFE2025. We prefer music when we perceive agency behind it. Improvisation trumps a prepared performance. See paper at www.frontiersin.org/journals/psy.... ⚙️🧫
October 7, 2025 at 3:12 AM
The usual explanation for great music is that it's predictable but not too predictable. But there's more to it, said @frosas.bsky.social at #ALIFE2025. We prefer music when we perceive agency behind it. Improvisation trumps a prepared performance. See paper at www.frontiersin.org/journals/psy.... ⚙️🧫
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
It’s not the method that makes you causal it’s the assumptions
October 4, 2025 at 3:52 AM
It’s not the method that makes you causal it’s the assumptions
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
It is often argued that the origin of life must be related to "phase transitions"
This concept is often misused, or even abused.
In a new paper with @ricardsole.bsky.social we discuss which types of transitions might be involved and some relevant models.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
This concept is often misused, or even abused.
In a new paper with @ricardsole.bsky.social we discuss which types of transitions might be involved and some relevant models.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
Bifurcations and phase transitions in the origins of life | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
The path towards the emergence of life in our biosphere involved several key events allowing for the persistence, reproduction and evolution of molecular systems. All these processes took place in a given environmental context and required both molecular ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
October 2, 2025 at 6:53 PM
It is often argued that the origin of life must be related to "phase transitions"
This concept is often misused, or even abused.
In a new paper with @ricardsole.bsky.social we discuss which types of transitions might be involved and some relevant models.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
This concept is often misused, or even abused.
In a new paper with @ricardsole.bsky.social we discuss which types of transitions might be involved and some relevant models.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
Nearly 4,000 y ago, Egyptians finished their pyramids
Meanwhile, across the ocean, termites in NE Brazil were building something even larger: a hidden empire of 200M mounds, over an area the size of UK 🌍🐜
Still active today, a masterpiece of non-human engineering!
🧪🌐 HT @ricardsole.bsky.social
Meanwhile, across the ocean, termites in NE Brazil were building something even larger: a hidden empire of 200M mounds, over an area the size of UK 🌍🐜
Still active today, a masterpiece of non-human engineering!
🧪🌐 HT @ricardsole.bsky.social
October 1, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Nearly 4,000 y ago, Egyptians finished their pyramids
Meanwhile, across the ocean, termites in NE Brazil were building something even larger: a hidden empire of 200M mounds, over an area the size of UK 🌍🐜
Still active today, a masterpiece of non-human engineering!
🧪🌐 HT @ricardsole.bsky.social
Meanwhile, across the ocean, termites in NE Brazil were building something even larger: a hidden empire of 200M mounds, over an area the size of UK 🌍🐜
Still active today, a masterpiece of non-human engineering!
🧪🌐 HT @ricardsole.bsky.social
Finally published:
“Toward a unified taxonomy of information dynamics via Integrated Information Decomposition”
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
An information-theoretic framework to analyse complex multivariate dynamical processes ✨
“Toward a unified taxonomy of information dynamics via Integrated Information Decomposition”
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
An information-theoretic framework to analyse complex multivariate dynamical processes ✨
Toward a unified taxonomy of information dynamics via Integrated Information Decomposition | PNAS
Our ability to understand and control complex systems of many interacting parts remains
limited. A key challenge is that we still do not know how b...
www.pnas.org
September 24, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Finally published:
“Toward a unified taxonomy of information dynamics via Integrated Information Decomposition”
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
An information-theoretic framework to analyse complex multivariate dynamical processes ✨
“Toward a unified taxonomy of information dynamics via Integrated Information Decomposition”
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
An information-theoretic framework to analyse complex multivariate dynamical processes ✨
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
Postdoc job! I expect to have an opening at Johns Hopkins for a postdoctoral researcher working somewhere in the broad realms of physics, philosophy, and complexity. Apply at Academic Jobs Online:
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30496
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30496
Johns Hopkins University, Physics and Astronomy
Job #AJO30496, Postdoctoral Fellow in Foundations of Physics, Complexity, and Emergence, Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, US
academicjobsonline.org
September 5, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Postdoc job! I expect to have an opening at Johns Hopkins for a postdoctoral researcher working somewhere in the broad realms of physics, philosophy, and complexity. Apply at Academic Jobs Online:
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30496
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30496
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁?
Don't miss the Neuroscience and Philosophy Salon.
Earl Miller and team will discuss recent paper and we'll have plenty of discussion. Open to all.
Sept 12, noon EST-US
umd.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#neuroskyence
@earlkmiller.bsky.social
Don't miss the Neuroscience and Philosophy Salon.
Earl Miller and team will discuss recent paper and we'll have plenty of discussion. Open to all.
Sept 12, noon EST-US
umd.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#neuroskyence
@earlkmiller.bsky.social
August 24, 2025 at 4:06 PM
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁?
Don't miss the Neuroscience and Philosophy Salon.
Earl Miller and team will discuss recent paper and we'll have plenty of discussion. Open to all.
Sept 12, noon EST-US
umd.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#neuroskyence
@earlkmiller.bsky.social
Don't miss the Neuroscience and Philosophy Salon.
Earl Miller and team will discuss recent paper and we'll have plenty of discussion. Open to all.
Sept 12, noon EST-US
umd.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#neuroskyence
@earlkmiller.bsky.social
Finally published:
“Characterising high-order interdependence via entropic conjugation”
rdcu.be/eB3k3
On how a “conjugation” of information illuminates the space possible information-theoretic metrics of high-order phenomena!
“Characterising high-order interdependence via entropic conjugation”
rdcu.be/eB3k3
On how a “conjugation” of information illuminates the space possible information-theoretic metrics of high-order phenomena!
Characterising high-order interdependence via entropic conjugation
Communications Physics - This paper introduces entropic conjugation as a new framework to analyse high-order interdependencies in complex systems, clarifying existing information-theoretic measures...
rdcu.be
August 25, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Finally published:
“Characterising high-order interdependence via entropic conjugation”
rdcu.be/eB3k3
On how a “conjugation” of information illuminates the space possible information-theoretic metrics of high-order phenomena!
“Characterising high-order interdependence via entropic conjugation”
rdcu.be/eB3k3
On how a “conjugation” of information illuminates the space possible information-theoretic metrics of high-order phenomena!
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
Our department is seeking applicants for an Assistant Professor position with a focus on affective science. Please apply and/or pass this along to anyone who might be interested! facultypositions.stanford.edu/en-us/job/49...
Stanford | Faculty Positions: Details - Assistant Professor, Psychology
facultypositions.stanford.edu
August 20, 2025 at 5:43 AM
Our department is seeking applicants for an Assistant Professor position with a focus on affective science. Please apply and/or pass this along to anyone who might be interested! facultypositions.stanford.edu/en-us/job/49...
Preprint time:
“Compatibilist emergence for the science of consciousness”
osf.io/preprints/ps...
On how a multifaceted understanding of emergence can illuminate the link between consciousness and life!
“Compatibilist emergence for the science of consciousness”
osf.io/preprints/ps...
On how a multifaceted understanding of emergence can illuminate the link between consciousness and life!
August 20, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Preprint time:
“Compatibilist emergence for the science of consciousness”
osf.io/preprints/ps...
On how a multifaceted understanding of emergence can illuminate the link between consciousness and life!
“Compatibilist emergence for the science of consciousness”
osf.io/preprints/ps...
On how a multifaceted understanding of emergence can illuminate the link between consciousness and life!
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
The first one is some crazy work by @monmitabhar.bsky.social, Tanumoy, @hari-flies.bsky.social and Kamal Kishore. They eavesdropped on worm conversations and found the exciting phenomenon of movement of memory from one worm to another 2/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Extracellular vesicles aid in the transfer of long-term associative memory between Caenorhabditis elegans
Memory formation is necessary for the survival of animals across phyla. Here, we elucidate the mechanism underlying the formation of long-term associative memory (LTAM) formed by treating Caenorhabdit...
www.biorxiv.org
February 27, 2025 at 12:28 PM
The first one is some crazy work by @monmitabhar.bsky.social, Tanumoy, @hari-flies.bsky.social and Kamal Kishore. They eavesdropped on worm conversations and found the exciting phenomenon of movement of memory from one worm to another 2/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
Third edition of the emergence workshop is almost here!
You can register using the QR code on the poster
Any questions, you can message me here or send an email!
You can register using the QR code on the poster
Any questions, you can message me here or send an email!
August 19, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Third edition of the emergence workshop is almost here!
You can register using the QR code on the poster
Any questions, you can message me here or send an email!
You can register using the QR code on the poster
Any questions, you can message me here or send an email!
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
What is emergence? This is one of the most central ingredients of complexity, and a challenging one to formalize. Here's a paper by @seanmcarroll.bsky.social & Achyth Parola that attempts to classify different forms of emergence. @manlius.bsky.social @sfiscience.bsky.social arxiv.org/pdf/2410.15468
August 17, 2025 at 3:50 PM
What is emergence? This is one of the most central ingredients of complexity, and a challenging one to formalize. Here's a paper by @seanmcarroll.bsky.social & Achyth Parola that attempts to classify different forms of emergence. @manlius.bsky.social @sfiscience.bsky.social arxiv.org/pdf/2410.15468
Reposted by Fernando Rosas
🗺️ Pathfinding: a neurodynamical account of intuition
📔 We #review the neuroscience of #intuition, and present it as a predictive embodied process, emergent from hippocampal replay & brain metastability
🤝 with S. Kotler, M. Mannino, K. Friston, G. Buzsáki & J.A.S Kelso
🔗 nature.com/articles/s42...
📔 We #review the neuroscience of #intuition, and present it as a predictive embodied process, emergent from hippocampal replay & brain metastability
🤝 with S. Kotler, M. Mannino, K. Friston, G. Buzsáki & J.A.S Kelso
🔗 nature.com/articles/s42...
Pathfinding: a neurodynamical account of intuition - Communications Biology
This Perspective article proposes a neurodynamical model of intuition as a fast, embodied pathfinding mechanism shaped by evolution. Drawing on the free-energy principle and metastability, it explores...
nature.com
August 15, 2025 at 6:25 PM
🗺️ Pathfinding: a neurodynamical account of intuition
📔 We #review the neuroscience of #intuition, and present it as a predictive embodied process, emergent from hippocampal replay & brain metastability
🤝 with S. Kotler, M. Mannino, K. Friston, G. Buzsáki & J.A.S Kelso
🔗 nature.com/articles/s42...
📔 We #review the neuroscience of #intuition, and present it as a predictive embodied process, emergent from hippocampal replay & brain metastability
🤝 with S. Kotler, M. Mannino, K. Friston, G. Buzsáki & J.A.S Kelso
🔗 nature.com/articles/s42...