Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Could Biological Robots Heal Us from the Inside? | Michael Levin

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Oct 28, 2025
Guest
Michael Levin
In this enlightening discussion, Michael Levin, a distinguished biologist at Tufts University, explores the fascinating world of bioelectricity and Xenobots—living robots made from frog cells. He shares how these simple organisms can spontaneously heal brain tissue and even replicate through self-organization. Levin challenges our understanding of life, discussing the role of electricity in biological cognition and the potential of anthrobots, human cells designed to heal. This conversation reveals the intriguing intersection of biology, consciousness, and engineering.
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Human Cells Form Healing Motile Constructs

  • Tracheal epithelial cells can self-organize into motile constructs called anthrobots without genetic modification.
  • These anthrobots express thousands of genes differently and can heal neural wounds in vitro.
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Cells As Electrical Networks

  • Cells generate voltage gradients via ion channels across insulating membranes that act like transistors.
  • These bioelectric networks let tissues propagate voltage states and perform computation similar to neuronal circuits.
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Injury Currents Guide Repair

  • Membrane formation creates inherent electrical imbalances that signal injury via injury currents.
  • Those injury currents give immediate location and depolarization cues, a primal correlate of pain and repair directionality.
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