The Giants Shoulder Biology Is Cognition The Whole Way Down! Best of Giant's Shoulder 2025
Jan 2, 2026
Michael Levin, a pioneering biologist known for his work on xenobots, discusses cells exhibiting surprising regenerative capacities and their unexpected behaviors. Philosopher Anna Ciaunica argues that cognition predates neurons, presenting intelligence as an adaptive survival mechanism across scales. Physician-scientist William Miller suggests that individual cells are conscious and resolve ambiguity, reshaping our understanding of autonomy. Science writer Philip Ball delves into the ethical implications of growing brain organoids from personal cells, prompting critical reflections on consciousness.
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Cells Knitting Neural Wounds
- Michael Levin describes anthrobots and anthrobot clusters knitting a neural wound closed.
- He recounts tracheal cells unexpectedly healing neural tissue in experiments.
Neuroscience Tools Apply To Development
- Cognitive concepts used in neuroscience map directly to developmental biology with small pivots.
- Treating cognition as a continuum unlocks tools and discoveries across scales.
Words Can Obscure Biological Continuums
- Language categories hide continuums and block discovery by preventing tool transfer.
- Creating new terms prematurely stops porting successful concepts between fields.