What Is Life? A Cognitive Light Cone View

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What if cells from your own trachea sitting in a petri dish right now, could spontaneously organize into swimming robots that heal brain tissue? What if frog skin cells with no genetic modification whatsoever, could build copies of themselves from spare parts lying around?

This isn't science fiction. This is the work of Michael Levin at Tufts University and is completely rewriting the rules of biology.

Michael Levin's research challenges our fundamental understanding of what life is and where biological properties emerge from. Michael Levin is a distinguished biologist at Tufts University and director of the Allen Discovery Center, whose groundbreaking research on bio electricity and regenerative biology is reshaping our understanding of how biological systems process information and pursue goals.

His Xenobots, living robots built from frog cells, swim around, work together, and reproduce in ways that have never existed on Earth.

What does this tell us about consciousness, intelligence, and the nature of life itself?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 "Bioelectricity: Nature’s Cognitive Glue"

04:57 Neuronal Voltage Gradients Enable Computation

08:17 Magnetic Fields and Living Systems

11:43 "Voltage, Membranes, and Injury Signals"

14:51 "Bioelectric Properties in Cells"

15:59 Cell Circuits and Networks

19:31 "Ion Drugs Overcome Electrode Limits"

22:53 Asymmetric Features in Living Creatures

26:00 Embryo Symmetry Breaking Mechanism

30:11 "Space-Time Effort and Goal Scope"

33:19 "Origins: Universe and Life"

36:29 Causal Integration and Emergence Insights

42:02 Cell Liberation Enables Autonomous Behavior

43:53 "Xenobots: Self-Replicating Robots"

47:04 "Consciousness, Life, and Intelligence"

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Additional resources: Levin Lab https://www.drmichaellevin.org/

Follow Michael on X https://x.com/drmichaellevin?s=21

Michael Levin’s book: https://a.co/d/dzl9wPQ

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