In Vivo

What if your startup, your dreams and the universe itself are all running on the same code? MIT computer scientist, entrepreneur and game maker Dr. Rizwan Virk joins Tim to talk about his new book The Zen Entrepreneur and the Dream, a memoir of living a double life during the dot-com boom: running a venture-backed startup by day and chasing lucid dreams, swamis and synchronicities by night. We connect it all to his best-known work, The Simulation Hypothesis, and ask how close Google's Genie 4 and today's AI world models bring us to the "simulation point."

Along the way: the sci-fi feedback loop from Jules Verne to HAL 9000, Prompt Theory and AI characters who believe they are real, dream yoga, the Book of Clues, Steve Jobs connecting the dots, parallel lives from The Simulated Multiverse, Snakes and Ladders as a spiritual video game, and why your recurring patterns are dragons you learn to ride.

About the guest

Dr. Rizwan "Riz" Virk is a computer scientist, entrepreneur, video game pioneer, investor and author. He holds a computer science degree from MIT, a master's from Stanford's Graduate School of Business, and a Ph.D. in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology from Arizona State University, where he researches how science fiction shapes technology. He founded Play Labs @ MIT, is a venture partner at Griffin Gaming Partners, and is the author of The Simulation Hypothesis, The Simulated Multiverse, Zen Entrepreneurship, Wisdom of a Yogi and The Zen Entrepreneur and the Dream.

Research and articles mentioned

Dr. Rizwan Virk, "ChatGPT and the movie 'Her' are just the latest example of the 'sci-fi feedback loop'" (The Conversation, 2024): https://theconversation.com/chatgpt-and-the-movie-her-are-just-the-latest-example-of-the-sci-fi-feedback-loop-232784

Dr. Rizwan Virk, paper on religion and the simulation hypothesis (Journal for the Study of Religious Experience): https://rerc-journal.tsd.ac.uk/index.php/religiousexp/article/view/142

Vernor Vinge, "The Coming Technological Singularity" (1993): https://edoras.sdsu.edu/~vinge/misc/singularity.html

Google DeepMind, Genie 4 world model (Oct 2026): https://deepmind.google/blog/genie-4-a-new-generation-of-world-simulation/

Hashem Al-Ghaili, "Prompt Theory" (made with Google Veo 3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buKJQBExUy8

Daily Mail on simulation theory and Christianity: https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-15960417/mit-scientist-simulation-theory-christianity.html

Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement address (2005): https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2005/06/youve-got-find-love-jobs-says

Dr. Michael Newton, Journey of Souls: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_of_Souls

Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobiography_of_a_Yogi

Dr. Rizwan Virk

Website: https://www.zenentrepreneur.com

X: https://x.com/rizstanford

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rizvirk

ASU profile: https://search.asu.edu/profile/3849579

The Zen Entrepreneur and the Dream (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781954872066

The Simulation Hypothesis (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Simulation-Hypothesis-Computer-Scientist-Quantum/dp/0983056900

The Simulation Hypothesis, 2nd ed. (Penguin Random House): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/774523/the-simulation-hypothesis-by-rizwan-virk/

The Simulated Multiverse (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Simulated-Multiverse-Scientist-Simulation-Hypothesis/dp/1954872038

Wisdom of a Yogi (HarperCollins India): https://www.harpercollins.co.in/product/wisdom-of-a-yogi/

In Vivo Podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InVivoPodcast

X: https://x.com/InVivoPodOnX

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-vivo/id1775578563

Philosopher and historian of science Dr. Justin Garson joins me to unpack The Madness Pill: One Doctor’s Quest to Understand Schizophrenia, the mid-century hunt for a pill that could temporarily induce schizophrenia so scientists could reverse-engineer a cure.

Garson opens with his father’s journey: diagnosed in 1973, treated for a time with talk therapy and no meds, then caught in the post-1980s biomedical turn of hospitals, antipsychotics, and side effects. The episode then centers Solomon Snyder, opiate receptor, dopamine receptor, grind-and-bind assays, and the arc from an LSD ego-death to amphetamine psychosis to the dopamine hypothesis that helped flip psychiatry toward chemical-imbalance models. Also: Hearing Voices Network, pathology vs purpose, and Garson’s Substack Reclaim Your Inner Life.

Dr. Justin Garson

Website: www.justingarson.com

X: x.com/justin_garson

Substack: www.reclaimyourinnerlife.com

Amazon (The Madness Pill): www.amazon.com/Madness-Pill-Doctors-Understand-Schizophrenia

In Vivo on X - https://x.com/InVivoPodOnX

In Vivo on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@InVivoPodcast

In Vivo on Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-vivo/id1775578563

In Vivo on Amazon Podcasts - https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/1ac4dbec-df46-4d1f-b0a1-742e9656ef44/in-vivo

The opinions in this episode are those of the speakers. They do not represent the official views of any college, university, company, or other institution I may work for.

Dr. Jason Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks, joins me to unpack autonomous labs, what they are, why biology’s bench tooling barely moved in 20 years, and why the right analogy isn’t a subway or a car, but a Waymo. Is the biology singularity around the corner?

Kelly traces his path from Jurassic Park–era genetic engineering dreams and failing to clone one gene as a freshman, through Drew Endy’s “DNA is code” vision at MIT, to bootstrapping Ginkgo for four years before becoming Y Combinator’s first biotech. Along the way: cells as atom-movers vs computers as bit-movers, why we’re still the “first batter” mastering biology, GPT-5 designing real wet-lab experiments on Ginkgo’s platform, and why US–China competition makes lab automation a national-security issue, including his work on the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology and Genesis Mission / NSF autonomous-lab builds.

Dr Kelly: https://x.com/jrkelly

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrkelly2

Ginkgo: https://www.ginkgo.bio

In Vivo on X - https://x.com/InVivoPodOnX

In Vivo on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@InVivoPodcast

In Vivo on Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-vivo/id1775578563

In Vivo on Amazon Podcasts - https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/1ac4dbec-df46-4d1f-b0a1-742e9656ef44/in-vivo

The opinions in this episode are those of the speakers. They do not represent the official views of any college, university, company, or other institution I may work for.

Cathy Tie (founder, Origin Genomics) and Prof. Jiang Xueqin (Predictive History) join me for a wide-open conversation on germline gene editing, the science, the ethics, and the geopolitics.

Cathy walks through why heritable gene correction at the embryo stage may solve delivery problems that plague adult gene therapies, what Origin Genomics is doing under US IRB oversight, and how newer tools like base and prime editors change the safety conversation.

Prof. Jiang zooms out: US 0-to-1 vs China 1-to-100, techno-utopianism, aging demographics, and why, from a game-theory lens, biotech may reshape power more than nuclear weapons or AI.

Controversial, fast-moving science. This episode is for education and discussion, not medical or legal advice.

Cathy Tie / Origin Genomics:

https://x.com/CathyTie

https://x.com/OriginGenomics

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathytie

https://www.origingenomics.com

Prof. Jiang Xueqin (Predictive History)

https://www.youtube.com/@PredictiveHistory

https://predictivehistory.substack.com

In Vivo on X - https://x.com/InVivoPodOnX

In Vivo on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@InVivoPodcast

In Vivo on Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-vivo/id1775578563

In Vivo on Amazon Podcasts - https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/1ac4dbec-df46-4d1f-b0a1-742e9656ef44/in-vivo

Jason Verbelli, founder of Galilean Variance and CEO/Lead Engineer at SEG Magnetics, argues that Einstein left a written test for his own theory: if the speed of light depends even a little on the motion of the source, relativity and Einstein’s theory of gravitation are false. In this interview we start from first principles and work up through John Searl, magnetic waveforms, free energy vs over-unity, the double-slit experiments, the Casimir effect, and what that would mean for energy, technology, and space travel.

At SEG Magnetics in San Diego, Verbelli and his team are engineering a magnetic motor-generator based on Searl’s layered rings, orbiting rollers, and magnetic waveforms — an open-system device meant to harvest ambient energy and eventually power homes, industry, and vehicles without conventional fuel. The working image he uses is an electric car you never have to plug in.

Verbelli is the surviving apprentice of the late Professor John Searl and author of a four-book series: Light, Gravity, Time, and Coherence. He rejects Lorentz invariance in favor of Galilean Variance and Dr. Edward Dowdye’s Extinction Shift Principle — primary waves extinguished and re-emitted by local matter.

0:00 Intro — Who is Jason Verbelli?

0:56 SEG Magnetics and the unplugged electric car

3:53 John Searl’s origin story

7:18 The generator lifts off — radios blast on

9:06 The BBC Levity Disc claim

11:19 How Verbelli met Searl

13:15 The 1982 confiscation and court case

18:57 Four books: Light, Gravity, Time, Coherence

19:55 What is Galilean Variance?

25:08 Einstein’s 1913 letter

25:43 Dowdye’s Extinction Shift Principle

42:00 Four double-slit experiments — not one

50:18 The mini Geiger counter / which-path setup

59:08 Free energy vs over-unity

1:04:27 Magnetic waveforms and the undulating Bloch wall

1:07:34 Electron pairs, SEG layers, hydroelectric analogy

1:11:11 Not anti-gravity — competing emissions of gravity

1:14:07 How the generator actually makes electricity

1:30:17 Device walkthrough — electrons through the four layers

1:35:05 Bob Lazar, inertia, and space travel

1:39:43 Pushback, debates, and advice to students

1:47:51 Where to find the books, website, and socials

Follow Jason Verbelli X: https://x.com/TheRealVerbz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasonverbelli

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verbzbayarea/

Website: https://galileanvariance.com

SEG Magnetics: https://segmagnetics.com

In Vivo on X - https://x.com/InVivoPodOnX

In Vivo on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@InVivoPodcasthttps://open.spotify.com/show/5GBvPPvSx52O6ILuam4LoX?si=6c903566ae7b4761&nd=1&dlsi=254f9f5e78194002

In Vivo on Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-vivo/id1775578563

In Vivo on Amazon Podcasts - https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/1ac4dbec-df46-4d1f-b0a1-742e9656ef44/in-vivo

In this episode of In Vivo, I sit down with Dr. Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen, Assistant Professor of Forensic Epistemology at the University of Toronto and author of Psychopathy Unmasked: The Rise and Fall of a Dangerous Diagnosis (MIT Press).

Larsen challenges nearly every major claim about psychopathy: that people with high PCL-R scores lack empathy, are uniquely dangerous, are untreatable, have distinctive brains, or even form a coherent clinical category. Drawing on systematic reviews, historical analysis, and legal case data, he argues that psychopathy may be a “zombie idea”, an intuitively appealing concept that has survived despite a large body of contrary evidence.

We cover the 18th-century origins of the idea, the rise of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, how the diagnosis is used to justify longer sentences and harsher outcomes, the famous Oak Ridge treatment study, and why figures like Ted Bundy and Adolf Hitler do not actually fit the classic profile. Larsen also discusses the ethical problems of using an unreliable tool in court and offers practical advice for clinicians, lawyers, and students.

00:00 – Introduction

01:58 – How Larsen got interested in psychopathy

04:11 – Historical origins: Benjamin Rush and “anomia” (1786)

09:30 – How psychopathy is defined today

13:13 – Why the diagnosis has unique power in court

16:31 – How the PCL-R is actually administered

28:28 – Why Ted Bundy is a poor example of psychopathy

33:03 – Does Bundy fit the classic scientific claims?

1:16:16 – What is a “zombie idea”?

1:41:23 – Genocides, ordinary people, and why they are not psychopaths

1:47:45 – Were Hitler, Stalin, or Mao psychopaths?

1:51:31 – Advice for students interested in the field

1:55:17 – Advice for clinicians, prosecutors, and defense attorneys

1:59:45 – Where to find the book and Larsen’s work

Website: https://www.rasmusrosenberg.com

Book site: https://psychopathyunmasked.com

Dr. Larsen’s X page: https://x.com/RasmusRosenberg

Dr. Larsen’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosenberglarsen/

In Vivo on X - https://x.com/InVivoPodOnX

In Vivo on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@InVivoPodcast

In Vivo on Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-vivo/id1775578563

In Vivo on Amazon Podcasts - https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/1ac4dbec-df46-4d1f-b0a1-742e9656ef44/in-vivo

In this episode, NASA space biologist Ryan T. Scott explains why biology, not rocket science, is the real limiting factor in humanity’s goal of becoming a multi-planetary species. We discuss how NASA’s Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) is transforming space biology by making decades of multi-modal data openly available, standardized, and reusable.

Ryan breaks down why studying hazards like microgravity and radiation in combination (instead of in isolation) is critical for long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars. He also shares how open data and AI are accelerating discoveries, how high school students are now publishing peer-reviewed NASA space biology papers, and what it will actually take, biologically, for humans to thrive beyond Earth.

If we want to become a true spacefaring civilization, we need to treat biology as seriously as propulsion. This conversation goes deep into the data infrastructure, research gaps, and mindset shifts required to make that future possible.

List of studies cited:

1. Federated Learning paper

Title: Bridging Earth and Space: A Flexible and Resilient Federated Learning Framework Deployed on the International Space Station

Authors: Casaletto, Foley, Fernandez, Sanders, Scott, et al.

Link: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.14.633017v2

2. Mitochondrial stress paper (Cell)

Title: Comprehensive Multi-omics Analysis Reveals Mitochondrial Stress as a Central Biological Hub for Spaceflight Impact

Link (ScienceDirect): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867420314616

Open access (PMC): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7870178/

3. Multimodal MRI + combined hazards paper

Title: Multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reveals the Combined Effects of Simulated Microgravity and Space Radiation on Brain Structure and Function

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667325826002414

4. Anesthesiology for Spaceflight review

Title: Fundamentals of Anesthesiology for Spaceflight

Authors: Komorowski, Fleming, Kirkpatrick

Link: https://www.jcvaonline.com/article/S1053-0770(16)00008-2/fulltext

5. FLUID federated learning figure (model weights diagram)

This figure is from the same body of work as the federated learning paper above (AI4LS / FLUID framework).

Primary paper link: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.14.633017v2

6. Biofilms paper

Title: Biofilms: from the cradle of life to life support

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41522-025-00875-8

7. Bone density / microgravity paper

Title: The effects of microgravity on bone structure and function

Link (npj Microgravity): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-022-00194-8

Open access (PMC): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8983659/

8. Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) – Bone Fracture Risk

This is from NASA’s Human System Risk Board (HSRB) documentation.

Main collection: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20220015709

#spacebiology #nasa #spaceexploration #multiplanetary #openscience #marsmission #spacedata #BiologyForSpace #spaceflight

Resources & Links:

NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR): https://osdr.nasa.gov

Analysis Working Groups (AWG): https://science.nasa.gov/biological-physical/data/awg

Ryan T. Scott on X: https://x.com/RyanTScott

In Vivo on X - https://x.com/InVivoPodOnX

In Vivo on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@InVivoPodcast

In Vivo on Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-vivo/id1775578563

In Vivo on Amazon Podcasts - https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/1ac4dbec-df46-4d1f-b0a1-742e9656ef44/in-vivo

Can a single cell learn?

In this episode of In Vivo, I sit down with systems and single-cell biologist Dr. Arjun Raj (University of Pennsylvania) to explore one of the most provocative ideas in modern biology: that individual cells can form memories and adapt in ways that go far beyond their genetic code.

We dive into Raj’s groundbreaking research on cellular learning and non-genetic memory, including how melanoma cells can “learn” to resist cancer drugs without acquiring new mutations. Drawing from his 2024 Heilmeier Award lecture “Can a Cell Learn?”, we unpack the difference between genetic destiny and cellular agency, the role of the transcription factor AP-1, and what it means for a cell to remember past experiences.

This conversation sits at the intersection of rigorous molecular biology and deep philosophical questions about determinism, free will, and what it means to learn.

Dr. Arjun Raj’s lab website: https://rajlab.seas.upenn.edu/

Watch Arjun Raj’s full Heilmeier Award lecture “Can a Cell Learn?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs_a_MFb8Ts

In Vivo on X - https://x.com/InVivoPodOnX

In Vivo on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@InVivoPodcast

In Vivo on Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-vivo/id1775578563

In Vivo on Amazon Podcasts - https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/1ac4dbec-df46-4d1f-b0a1-742e9656ef44/in-vivo

In this wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Michael Shermer, founder of Skeptic Magazine and the Skeptics Society, opens up about his personal journey from born-again Christian to one of the world’s most respected scientific skeptics. He shares how his faith unraveled during his graduate studies, the role James Randi and Uri Geller played in shaping modern skepticism, and why critical thinking has become more important than ever.

Shermer also discusses his latest book, Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters, where he explores how we can navigate truth in an age of misinformation, conspiracy thinking, and institutional distrust. We dive deep into his recent appointment to the UAP Science Advisory Council, chaired by Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb. He breaks down the council’s goals, the challenge of government disinformation, and what it would actually take to prove the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence.

Using tools like Occam’s Razor, Type I and Type II errors, and the Drake Equation, Shermer explains how he evaluates extraordinary claims, and why most people dramatically overestimate the odds of alien visitation.

Links:

Buy “Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still” https://a.co/d/0iEil41o

Michael Shermer’s Website: https://michaelshermer.com

Skeptic Magazine: https://www.skeptic.com

Follow Michael Shermer on X: https://x.com/michaelshermer

In Vivo on X - https://x.com/InVivoPodOnX

In Vivo on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@InVivoPodcast

In Vivo on Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-vivo/id1775578563

In Vivo on Amazon Podcasts - https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/1ac4dbec-df46-4d1f-b0a1-742e9656ef44/in-vivo

Why do humans sleep less than any other primate on Earth, yet possess the largest brains and highest cognitive abilities?

In this episode of In Vivo, evolutionary biologist Dr. David Sampson joins the show to unpack the fascinating paradox of human sleep. We dive deep into his immersive fieldwork with the Hadza tribe, the neural mechanics of how your brain flushes out toxins at night, and why our modern obsession with sleep deprivation might be missing the true biological anchor: our circadian rhythm.

Dr. David Sampson is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga and the director of the Shell Sleep and Human Evolution Lab. He is also the author of the groundbreaking book, The Sleepless Ape.

Dr. Samson's lab - https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/shel/

Dr. Samson's wesbsite - https://davidrsamson.com/

Buy 'The Sleepless Ape' - https://a.co/d/09qP1pxd

Dr. Samson on X - https://x.com/Primalprimate

In Vivo on X - https://x.com/InVivoPodOnX

In Vivo on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@InVivoPodcast

In Vivo on Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-vivo/id1775578563

In Vivo on Amazon Podcasts - https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/1ac4dbec-df46-4d1f-b0a1-742e9656ef44/in-vivo