Bioelectric Networks & Cellular Motivations - Dr. Michael Levin, Synthetic Biologist, Tufts Univ.

Dr. Michael Levin is a developmental and synthetic biologist best known for two things - the creation of xenobots - biological robots created from frog cells - and his ability to fine-tune the bodyplan of regenerating organisms with morphogenic bioelectric fields. He's speaks with us about the philosophical foundations of his work in regenerative medicine, which include intricate theories of cognition that assert the goal-seeking behavior associated with the "self" is apparent at all scales of life. His work serves as a proof-of-concept for this view of the world, as he has demonstrated it is much more effective to change how organisms grow and regenerate through the careful direction of this goal-seeking behavior, rather than through traditional biochemical methods. His rigorous attention to the philosophy of biology - which includes his forward-thinking definitions of terms like "self," "intelligence," and "cognition" - allows his ideas to jump from the page and into a reality filled with two-headed immortal worms and frog-skin xenobots. See the papers discussed in the podcast down below, and support the podcast by becoming a Patron https://www.patreon.com/demystifysci   

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PODCAST INFO:  

Anastasia completed her PhD studying microbial communication at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting and exploring the woods. Michael Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities.   

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MORE READING:  
Cognition in Biological Systems: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00902/full
The Computational Boundary of the Self: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6923654/
Living Things Are NOT Machines: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.650726/full
Life, Death & Self: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006291X20320064
Limb and Organ Regeneration: https://academic.oup.com/ib/article/7/12/1487/5199172

MUSIC: Journey to Consciousness, Daniel Willett