Thoughtforms Life

By Michael LevinScience Education

Thoughtforms Life episodes

September 19, 2024Unconventional Cognition Through the Lens of Cellular Collective Intelligence in Morphogenesis
This is a 1 hour 8 minute talk covering topics of collective intelligence in morphogenesis as a model system for thinking about the origin and scaling of cognition in diverse embodiments.
CHAPTERS:
(00:00) Diverse Intelligence Framework
(12:00) Morphogenesis Problem Solving
(22:00) Bioelectric Pattern Memory
(34:30) Exploring Latent Space
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1 hr 9 min
September 18, 2024The Bioelectric Basis of Morphogenetic Intelligence: A Roadmap for Cancer Medicine
This is a ~45 minute keynote talk at the Bioelectricity and Cancer conference (https://cam.cancer.gov/research/bioelectricity_and_cancer_conference.htm) held at NIH in September 2024.
CHAPTERS:
(00:00) What is Cancer?
(13:00) Cognitive Light Cone & Cancer
(18:00) Bioelectric Layer: Cognitive Glue
(23:00) Bioelectricity in Cancer
(28:00) Tools: Imaging & Control
(32:00) Bioelectric Diagnostics & Induction
(37:00) Suppressing Cancer Bioelectrically
(42:00) Roadmap and Future Directions
(46:00) Conclusion & Acknowledgements
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46 min
September 17, 2024The Collective Intelligence of Morphogenesis: A Model System for Basal Cognition
This is a ~1 hour talk on morphogenesis as a collective intelligence and some specifics about cognitive glue.
CHAPTERS:
(00:00) Intro: Diverse Intelligence Overview
(01:40) Discrete Kinds vs Continuum
(03:50) Intelligence in Novel Spaces
(06:00) Cells as Collective Intelligence
(09:30) Morphogenesis and Agential Material
(12:30) Defining Intelligence: Perturbations
(17:00) Tadpole Metamorphosis Intelligence
(19:30) Anatomical Homeostasis & Setpoints
(21:30) Bioelectricity: Cognitive Glue
(23:30) Ancient Bioelectric Networks
(25:30) Reading Bioelectric Patterns
(27:30) Manipulating Bioelectric States
(30:00) Bioelectric Control of Organs
(33:00) Planaria Pattern Memory
(35:44) Two-Headed Worms & Memory
(37:30) Exploring Anatomical Morphospace
(40:00) Diverse Intelligence: Cognitive Light Cone
(42:00) Cancer: Breakdown Collective Intelligence
(44:00) Origin of Goals & Individuality
(45:30) Mechanisms of Collective Alignment
(47:00) Stress Sharing Mechanism
(48:30) New Forms of Intelligence
(49:30) Xenobots: Synthetic Life
(53:00) Anthrobots: Human Cell Bots
(54:30) Future of Diverse Intelligence
(55:30) Conclusion and Acknowledgements
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59 min
September 14, 2024Discussion with Kevin Mitchell, Nick Cheney, and Ben Hartl on Evolution, Development, Generative Models
This is a ~1 hour discussion with Kevin Mitchell (https://www.kjmitchell.com/), Nick Cheney (https://www.uvm.edu/cems/cs/profiles/nick-cheney), and Ben Hartl (https://allencenter.tufts.edu/benedikt-hartl-ph-d/) on the application of connectionist generative models in understanding the role of the genome in evolution and the control of form and function. Links to relevant materials mentioned in the discussion:
Nick and Kevin's recent paper preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.15908
Kevin's rec...
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59 min
September 06, 2024Aastha Jain Simes & I Interview Mustafa Djamgoz, Foundational Contributor to Cancer Bioelectricity
This is another episode in our series on the great figures in developmental bioelectricity. We interview (~1 hour) Mustafa Djamgoz, who has made pivotal discoveries about the role of bioelectricity in the problem of cancer and its eventual solution.
Mustafa's book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17612801-beat-cancer
Mustafa's papers: https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/m.djamgoz/publications
Mustafa and I are co-editors of the new journal Bioelectricity: https://home.liebertpub.com/publicat...
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1 hr
August 30, 2024Conversation 1 with Alex Schmidt and Alexey Tolchinsky
This is a ~1 hour discussion with Dr. Alex Schmidt (www.schmidtpsychologicalservices.com) and Alexey Tolchinsky, Psy.D. (https://montgomerycountypsychologist.com/). We touch on issues of trauma, somatic memory, dissociation, and protective mechanisms at the interface of the psychiatry and developmental biology.
In private practice, Dr. Schmidt works with children and adults who exhibit severe and lasting emotional and physical trauma and who present with assorted presentations of PTSD. She has...
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1 hr 2 min
August 26, 2024Discussion with Richard Watson and Josh Bongard
This is a ~1 hour discussion with Richard Watson (https://www.richardawatson.com/) and Josh Bongard (https://www.uvm.edu/cems/cs/profiles/josh_bongard) touching on topics of agency, polycomputing, oscillations, and evolution.
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1 hr 6 min
August 16, 2024Conversation between Josh Bongard, Tom Froese, and I on Irruption Theory, Polycomputing, and Minds
This is a ~1 hour conversation between Josh Bongard (https://www.uvm.edu/cems/cs/profiles/josh_bongard), Tom Froese (https://www.oist.jp/research/tom-froese), and I on Irruption theory, polycomputing, and the mind-body relationship. Some relevant links from the discussion:
Tom's paper on irruption theory: https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/26/4/288
Josh and I on polycomputaton: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/8/1/110
Eduardo's paper on multiple embodiment: https://scholar.google.com/citations?view...
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58 min
August 13, 2024Conversation Between Josh Bongard, Atoosa Parsa, Richard Watson, and I
This is a ~50 minute conversation between Josh Bongard (https://www.uvm.edu/cems/cs/profiles/josh_bongard), Atoosa Parsa (https://www.atoosaparsa.com/), Richard Watson (https://www.richardawatson.com/), and I on topics of agency, computation, polycomputing, oscillations, selfhood, and similar subjects.
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53 min
August 08, 2024Discussion With Tim Jackson, Karl Friston, and Chris Fields
This is a ~1 hour conversation between Tim Jackson (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Timothy-Jackson-4), Karl Friston (https://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl/), Chris Fields (https://chrisfieldsresearch.com/) and I around the free energy principle, philosophy, evolution, and novelty.
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59 min

About Thoughtforms Life

From the publisher's feed

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…