Sounds that cause our eardrums to vibrate by less than the diameter of an atom, bacteria that count every single molecule that arrives at their surface, and more: evolution has selected for mechanisms that operate near the limits of what is allowed by the laws of physics.
William Bialek of Princeton University tours these beautiful phenomena -- from microscopic events inside a developing embryo to our own perception and decision making -- March 18, 2015, as part of the Department of Physics Bethe Lecture Series.