SISSA Colloquium | Universality and Structures in Natural Language and DNA Sequences (no smoothie, please)

Mirko Degli Esposti of Università of Bologna will present his experiences and results from quantum mechanics and dynamical systems, up to data driven interests in the field of language (natural or artificial) and DNA sequences.  As far as language is concerned, he will first of all explore the origin of long correlations in texts and their coexistence with the hierarchical structures of language, also addressing the case of artificial texts generated by deep learning algorithms.

The coexistence of universal laws and complex structures at different scales will also be addressed for DNA by introducing, illustrating and modeling the so-called second (extended) Chargaff’s rule.

From this journey, Degli Espositi understood that the identity and distinctiveness of a research method is an indispensable factor for the innovation of science, even more so is the curiosity that guides the directions of research. Sometimes curiosity leads to correlate, hopefully to integrate, with other scientific domains, distinct from one's own. According to him, the important thing, doing research across disciplines, is to make not a smoothie but a good fruit salad: a final achievement where the various pieces of fruit, the identities of the disciplines, remain distinct and recognizable, but create something new, a turning point. 

The seminar will take place online via Zoom platform. Access details will be provided in due course.

The video recording will be made available later on.

Location (SISSA room)