

Thoughtforms Life
Michael Levin
A podcast by Professor Michael Levin exploring the frontiers of biology, cognition, and emergence. Engage in conversations about morphogenesis, bioelectricity, and synthetic life — and uncover how intelligence and agency emerge from the most fundamental levels of nature.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 24, 2024 • 52min
Timothy Jackson and Mike Levin, Meeting
This is a ~1 hour working meeting between Timothy Jackson (https://theconversation.com/profiles/timothy-n-w-jackson-115702) and myself, discussing our collaboration on how evolutionary and clinical toxinology connects to diverse intelligence and biomedical hacking.
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The Levin Lab

Feb 22, 2024 • 55min
A Bioelectric Interface to the Collective Intelligence of Agential Materials for Bioengineering
This is a 1 hour talk by Michael Levin to an audience of biomedical engineering students.
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The Levin Lab

Feb 4, 2024 • 54min
Karl Friston, Adam Goldstein, and Michael Levin Discuss Active Inference and Algorithms
Join Karl Friston, a leading theoretical neuroscientist known for his work on active inference, alongside Adam Goldstein and Michael Levin, as they delve into the fascinating intersection of algorithms and self-organization. They explore how simple sorting algorithms can exhibit unexpected behaviors and emergent properties. Friston connects these concepts to biological systems through free energy principles, while the trio discusses the implications for social dynamics, revealing insights into clustering and the tension between mechanics and teleology. It’s a thought-provoking dive into the algorithms that shape our world!

Feb 3, 2024 • 55min
Mark Solms and Michael Levin Discuss Explicit and Implicit Behavioral Drives
In this intriguing discussion, Mark Solms, a neuropsychologist known for his insights into consciousness, shares the virtual stage with Michael Levin, a computational biologist. They explore the fascinating link between algorithms and behavior, examining how simple sorting algorithms might reflect implicit drives and motivations. Solms highlights the emergence of cognitive processes from uncertainty and discusses the implications for understanding social phenomena like prejudice. They delve into the interplay between explicit and implicit behaviors, raising thought-provoking questions about cognition and the nature of consciousness.

Jan 7, 2024 • 1h 2min
Discussion with Stuart Kauffman and Katherine Peil Kauffman
Stuart Kauffman, a pioneer in theoretical biology, and Katherine Peil Kauffman, a clinical psychologist, delve into fascinating insights on cognition and emotions. They explore minimal sorting algorithms to reveal emergent problem-solving behaviors. Katherine discusses how bioelectric signaling influences our emotional valence, while Stuart examines how living cells acquire goals. Together, they discuss the implications of decentralized experimentation in agriculture and medicine, and the autonomy of complex systems driven by collective agency.

Nov 25, 2023 • 30min
Bioelectricity, Biobots, and the Future of Biology
A 30-minute talk (from April 2023) by Michael Levin given to an audience interested in longevity and the future of biotechnology research.
CHAPTERS:(00:00) Introduction & Design Challenge(04:00) Genome vs. Anatomical Form(08:00) Inverse Problem & Top-Down(13:00) Cellular Collective Intelligence(17:00) Regeneration & Bioelectricity(22:00) Reading/Writing Bioelectrical Patterns(26:00) Permanent Morphological Changes(31:00) Cancer & Synthetic Life(35:00) AI, Ethics, Future
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The Levin Lab

Nov 21, 2023 • 1h 16min
Bioelectricity as Cognitive Glue: From Diverse Intelligence to Regenerative Medicine (~1 hour talk)
A talk by Michael Levin (with Q&A at the end) given at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Colloquium given in November 2023 (not May as the title screen says).
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The Levin Lab

Nov 7, 2023 • 1h 3min
Conversation between Adam Omary, Roy Baumeister, and Michael Levin
This is a 1-hour discussion between Adam Omary, Roy Baumeister, and Michael Levin on the topics of collective intelligence and possible relevance to economic/social issues above the level of the single individual.
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The Levin Lab

Nov 5, 2023 • 59min
A 1 hour Lecture on Bioelectricity for a Department of Parasitology/Immunology by Michael Levin
This is a 1 hour talk on bioelectricity with a special slant toward microbiology/immunology/parasitology. More information is at
https://thoughtforms.life/?p=1722
including some audio of Q&A afterward.
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Oct 31, 2023 • 57min
Conversation #2 Between Chris Fields, Richard Watson, and Mike Levin
Chris Fields, Richard Watson, and I discuss how memory is stored in trained but static pathway models, and what this means for memory and mind-reading technologies in general.
See https://thoughtforms.life/but-where-is-the-memory-a-discussion-of-training-gene-regulatory-networks-and-its-implications/ for more information and background on this topic.
CONNECT WITH ME:
Podcast Website
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Twitter
Blog
The Levin Lab


