FRONTIERS I: Is biology rich in data and poor in theory?
The inaugural Frontiers dialogue of the cycle “Understanding life” will take place on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona (RACAB) (La Rambla, 115), from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Núria López-Bigas, ICREA research professor at IRB Barcelona and Jeremy Gunawardena, distinguished professor at MELIS-Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), will put on the table one of the most burning debates in contemporary science: whether biology has become a discipline hyperconnected to the mass generation of data but lacking a solid theoretical body comparable to that of other branches such as physics. Under the moderation of Marta Sales-Pardo, researcher at the Network and Data Science of the Rovira i Virgili University, López Bigas and Gunawardena will discuss, among other aspects, whether correlations and large data sets can become explanations on their own, to what extent algorithmic success can replace understanding, or whether biology needs general laws in the traditional sense.