The secret paths of global knowledge transfer - with Cesar Hidalgo
Award winning data-visualistion expert Cesar Hidalgo demonstrates how the movement of knowledge follows scientifically defined patterns.
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Buy Cesar's book "The Infinite Alphabet and the Laws of Knowledge" here: https://geni.us/uPNL
This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 17 November 2025.
Through a series of fascinating examples, physicist and data-visualisation specialist César Hidalgo shows how scientific laws of time, space and value allow us to chart how knowledge moves and spreads in the 21st century, helping us understand the emergence of hot and coldspots for scientific and economic growth and development.
Why is it that Silicon Valley in California or Zhongguancun in Beijing are such successful hubs for innovation, where other locations have failed? What sustains the exponential growth in some technologies, like computers, while we forgot how to make Polaroid film?
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Physicist César Hidalgo is a global leader in his field: a Chilean-Spanish-American scholar known for his contributions to economic complexity, data visualization, and applied artificial intelligence, founder of DataWheel. He leads the Center for Collective Learning at the Toulouse School of Economics and Corvinus University of Budapest.
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Join this channel as a Science Supporter to get early access to lectures and other perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join
Watch the Q&A here (exclusively for our Science Supporter members): https://youtu.be/zLxw9C6vfpo
Buy Cesar's book "The Infinite Alphabet and the Laws of Knowledge" here: https://geni.us/uPNL
This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 17 November 2025.
Through a series of fascinating examples, physicist and data-visualisation specialist César Hidalgo shows how scientific laws of time, space and value allow us to chart how knowledge moves and spreads in the 21st century, helping us understand the emergence of hot and coldspots for scientific and economic growth and development.
Why is it that Silicon Valley in California or Zhongguancun in Beijing are such successful hubs for innovation, where other locations have failed? What sustains the exponential growth in some technologies, like computers, while we forgot how to make Polaroid film?
---
Physicist César Hidalgo is a global leader in his field: a Chilean-Spanish-American scholar known for his contributions to economic complexity, data visualization, and applied artificial intelligence, founder of DataWheel. He leads the Center for Collective Learning at the Toulouse School of Economics and Corvinus University of Budapest.
---
The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science
and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution
and TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ri_science
Listen to the Ri podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ri-science-podcast
Donate to the RI and help us bring you more lectures: https://www.rigb.org/support-us/donate-ri
Our editorial policy: https://www.rigb.org/editing-ri-talks-and-moderating-comments
Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter
Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.
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