
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


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
By DemystifySci4.6
5656 ratings
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

977 Listeners

441 Listeners

435 Listeners

3,307 Listeners

1,276 Listeners

490 Listeners

598 Listeners

332 Listeners

265 Listeners

1,182 Listeners

366 Listeners

33 Listeners

75 Listeners

153 Listeners

342 Listeners