How biology works with Michael Levin and William RatCliff | Reason with Science | Evolution

Feb 8, 2025

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This episode is with Michael Levin and William RatCliff. Mike is a Professor in the Biology department at Tufts University. He is a pioneer in the study of bioelectricity, regeneration, and morphogenesis. Will is a Professor in the School of Biological Science at Georgia Tech. He is a leading expert in the study of how single-celled organisms evolved into complex multicellular life forms. Here, we talk about how cells cooperate, evolve, and build the diversity of life we see today. Specifically, we discuss about evolution of multicellularity, the role of bioelectricity in evolution, and the emergence of regeneration.

Guests info:

William RatCliff-Website: https://ratclifflab.biosci.gatech.edu/

X: https://x.com/wc_ratcliff

Michael Levin-Website: https://www.drmichaellevin.org/

X: https://x.com/drmichaellevin

Episode links:

Website: Youtube: https://youtu.be/NULzvSGpmvE?si=qMjfKNyMzKrUmdRmSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/46y8cCFsbzMKRnC1urghVQ?si=E3tDRUojTPOrIsBHDqcusgApple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-biology-works-with-michael-levin-and-william/id1641776894?i=1000690266570YouTube music: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=NULzvSGpmvE&si=Fi1CksVMCBDPe9nv

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:04:06 How do you picture a cell?

00:12:56

00:15:37 What is multicellularity?

00:25:58 Why can’t unicellular or early multicellular organisms communicate over long distances?

00:31:10 Cells as colonial organisms—how do they coordinate with identical genomes?

00:48:11 Introducing snowflakes

01:14:36 How does cellular specialization happen, and what makes it unique?

01:16:34 Can different experimental conditions lead to new types of specialization?

01:33:25 What drives cellular specialization?

01:34:46 What happens at the cellular level in diseases like cancer?

01:43:52 How do you view aging from a cellular perspective?