Grow Everything Biotech Podcast 156. When Matter Makes Decisions: Michael Levin on the Intelligence of Form
Nov 21, 2025
Join the fascinating Michael Levin, a pioneering biologist who directs the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University. He discusses how cells make independent decisions and even store memories without DNA. Discover mind-blowing experiments that created two-headed immortal worms and the role of bioelectric patterns in shaping life. Levin shares insights on xenobots, the ethical implications of cyborgs, and how understanding biological intelligence can revolutionize medicine and technology, unlocking the secrets of regenerative capabilities and environmental solutions.
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Biology Is An Agential Material
- Living systems are agential materials with decision-making competencies at multiple scales, not passive parts controlled only from the top.
- Intelligence and goal-directed behavior propagate from molecular networks up through cells and tissues, shaping morphology and repair.
Genome Provides Hardware, Not A Blueprint
- The genome supplies reusable hardware, not explicit blueprints for gross anatomy like number of eyes or fingers.
- Cells run reprogrammable problem-solving processes that interpret genomic hardware to create anatomy under varying conditions.
Two‑Headed Worms From Rewriting Bioelectric Memory
- Levin's lab rewrote planarian bioelectrical patterns to induce two-headed flatworms without altering DNA.
- The altered bioelectric memory persisted across cuts: recut fragments regenerated as two-headed worms indefinitely.
