Creativity in science, as elsewhere, begins with metaphor. In science, metaphor spawns theory, the ultimate value of which is judged by comparison with experiment. But metaphor also plays another role, as a vehicle for carrying powerful concepts and images from one area of science to another. Biological evolution, the mathematical theory of optimization and the physics of glassy materials might seem to have little in common. Nevertheless, they give rise to strikingly similar theoretical notions. At a conference held at Los Alamos in May, physicists, chemists and biologists met to explore a metaphor that might serve to unify the study of these and other systems.
展开▼
