On the hidden memory in complex systems: from fly brains to quantum processes

Many natural systems are difficult to predict because of how their behaviour in the past influences how they behave in the future. This is referred to as memory. These complex systems come in all shapes and sizes ranging from weather patterns, the signals in your brain, and even to interacting quantum particles. Despite the surprising diversity in where complex processes appear in nature, they share much in common because they all have memory. This thesis shows that accounting for the hidden memory in complex systems allows us to better describe consciousness, build new energy-efficient materials, and understand quantum mechanics.