Explore the fascinating world of cognition, ecology, and synthetic biology in this thought-provoking podcast episode featuring Ricard Solé from the Santa Fe Institute. Delve into the concepts of liquid and solid brains, examining the traits of thinking systems and the environmental factors that influence cognitive strategies. Investigate the transition between different brain states and learn how lessons from ecology and evolution can be applied to shape a thriving future with technology while preserving the biosphere. Discover insights on scaling cognition, criticality, contagions, and the potential for terraforming our planet using synthetic biology. Gain a deeper understanding of complex systems, ecological networks, and the intersection of biology and computation through discussions on topics such as emergent multi-cellularity, artificial life, and the fragility of ecological networks.