Bioelectric Networks & Cellular Motivations - Dr. Michael Levin, Synthetic Biologist, Tufts Univ.

Dr. Michael Levin is a developmental and synthetic biologist best
known for two things - the creation of xenobots - biological
robots created from frog cells - and his ability to fine-tune the
bodyplan of regenerating organisms with morphogenic bioelectric
fields. He's speaks with us about the philosophical foundations
of his work in regenerative medicine, which include intricate
theories of cognition that assert the goal-seeking behavior
associated with the "self" is apparent at all scales of life. His
work serves as a proof-of-concept for this view of the world, as
he has demonstrated it is much more effective to change how
organisms grow and regenerate through the careful direction of
this goal-seeking behavior, rather than through traditional
biochemical methods. His rigorous attention to the philosophy of
biology - which includes his forward-thinking definitions of
terms like "self," "intelligence," and "cognition" - allows his
ideas to jump from the page and into a reality filled with
two-headed immortal worms and frog-skin xenobots. See the papers
discussed in the podcast down below, and support the podcast by
becoming a Patron https://www.patreon.com/demystifysci
  

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depth-investigations:  https://youtu.be/1OCL5Lq8m6s

PODCAST INFO:  

Anastasia completed her PhD studying microbial communication at
Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or
making movies, she spends her time painting and exploring the
woods. Michael Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the
elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film
studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance
professors at various universities.   

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MORE READING:  
Cognition in Biological Systems:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00902/full

The Computational Boundary of the Self:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6923654/
Living Things Are NOT Machines:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.650726/full

Life, Death & Self:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006291X20320064

Limb and Organ Regeneration:
https://academic.oup.com/ib/article/7/12/1487/5199172

MUSIC: Journey to Consciousness, Daniel Willett