Michael Levin on Morphogenetics, Regeneration, Consciousness, and Xenobots

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Papus79
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Michael Levin on Morphogenetics, Regeneration, Consciousness, and Xenobots

Post by Papus79 »

I'm dropping this in here because we have a Philosophy of Science folder but not just a 'Science' folder.

This is an interview Curt Jaimungal had with Michael Levin. I remember Michael from an interview that he had with one of the heads at Big Think and it's really interesting what he's found out about cell differentiation and morphology. It sounds like the ion channels have a lot to do with cell communication as to which cells become what or do what, this acts as an abstracted information layer above the genetic level and he's done not only some interesting research such as adding eyes to amphibians but making two-headed flatworms and watching them stay that way across generations to then reverse the same issue in later generations and see the change also carry through.

It really sounds like this could be a disruptive technology in the medical and health world. Perhaps it's an open question as to how this didn't get discovered sooner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0TNfysTazc
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Re: Michael Levin on Morphogenetics, Regeneration, Consciousness, and Xenobots

Post by Papus79 »

I actually just got to where Curt asked Michael that last question - why it took as long. Michael's answer was the following:

1) The voltage-sensitive dyes for studying bioelectricity weren't available at earlier points when research was being done into bioelectric effects (1970's and 80's)
2) Previous to the dyes the only tools available were probes which could only inspect cells one by one.
3) Previously most work on studying biology at a low level has been more like autopsy, when you kill an organism the bioelectric effects aren't there.

The first two make sense, the third I'm less maybe a bit less, you'd think these kinds of communications could just as easily happen between more loosely coupled single-celled organisms but who knows, maybe in some ways it was just less obvious in those settings than it would be in cell differentiation for multicellular, especially massive multi-cellular, organisms.
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Re: Michael Levin on Morphogenetics, Regeneration, Consciousness, and Xenobots

Post by Pattern-chaser »

Papus79 wrote: November 19th, 2021, 10:00 am ...he's done not only some interesting research such as adding eyes to amphibians but making two-headed flatworms...
Do we really think this abuse of living creatures is acceptable enough to be discussed, here or anywhere else? Personally, I find this Frankensteinian manipulation repellant. 🤮

Sorry to be so negative, but this is a blind-spot that humans have nurtured in themselves, such that all life is there to be used by us. It's so basic to our understanding of the world that we don't even see that we're doing it. 😰
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Re: Michael Levin on Morphogenetics, Regeneration, Consciousness, and Xenobots

Post by Papus79 »

I felt a bit of that, particularly about putting an eye in something's intestine, it's also a catch 22 - where the question is 'was it possible'. What bothers me more - he's voluntarily being honest about it whereas we're using products all the time whose safety profiles were tested on animals in far more hideous ways (and I might add - factory-farmed chicken is a similar kind of thing).

I still don't think this changes the importance of his research but it's a part of the research that takes a strong stomach.
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Re: Michael Levin on Morphogenetics, Regeneration, Consciousness, and Xenobots

Post by Papus79 »

For anyone looking at this thread who hasn't watched the video - he's effectively not just solved but demonstrated causality for cell differentiation in living tissue from embryo onward. Not only that - he's answered it in terms of something most have never heard before, ie. an electro-chemical software template regulated by ion channels.
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Re: Michael Levin on Morphogenetics, Regeneration, Consciousness, and Xenobots

Post by Papus79 »

There've been a lot more interviews and discussions on the topic recently with Michael, including a few with Karl Friston whose working on similar ideas.

Curt Jaimungal hosting a discussion between Michael Levin, Karl Friston, and Chris Fields:


On Lex Fridman's podcast recently:


Discussion with John Vervaeke hosted by Karen Wong:

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