#325 – Michael Levin: Biology, Life, Aliens, Evolution, Embryogenesis & Xenobots

Michael Levin is a biologist at Tufts University working on novel ways to understand and control complex pattern formation in biological systems. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Henson Shaving : https://hensonshaving.com/lex and use code LEX to get 100 free blades with your razor – Eight Sleep : https://www.eightsleep.com/lex to get special savings – LMNT : https://drinkLMNT.com/lex to get free sample pack – InsideTracker : https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20% off EPISODE LINKS: Michael’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/drmichaellevin Michael’s Website: https://drmichaellevin.org Michael’s Papers: Biological Robots: https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.00880 Synthetic Organisms: https://tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19420889.2021.2005863 Limb Regeneration: https://science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abj2164 PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (06:40) – Embryogenesis (14:08) – Xenobots: biological robots (27:55) – Sense of self (37:27) – Multi-scale competency architecture (48:58) – Free will (58:27) – Bioelectricity (1:11:44) – Planaria (1:23:33) – Building xenobots (1:47:08) – Unconventional cognition (2:11:39) – Origin of evolution (2:18:42) – Synthetic organisms (2:25:27) – Regenerative medicine (2:29:14) – Cancer suppression (2:33:15) – Viruses (2:38:28) – Cognitive light cones (2:43:03) – Advice for young people (2:47:47) – Death (2:57:17) – Meaning of life