Thoughtforms Life

Conversation of Michael Levin with Iain McGilchrist

Jan 27, 2023
Iain McGilchrist, psychiatrist and writer known for his work on brain lateralization, joins Michael Levin. They explore how brain hemispheres shape attention and time perception. They discuss biological asymmetry from cells to organisms. Conversation touches on memory, identity, and how mind and matter interact.
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INSIGHT

Electrical Patterns Encode Body Plans

  • Planaria hold bioelectric 'pre-patterns' that act as attractors encoding target anatomy like head count.
  • Altering these electrical patterns rewrites regeneration outcomes without changing genes.
INSIGHT

Change Reference, Change Anatomy

  • You can change an animal's target anatomy by shifting physiological reference points, producing novel morphologies.
  • The same genetic hardware will execute different programs when its bioelectric reference is rewritten.
INSIGHT

Gene Networks Can Learn

  • Even simple gene regulatory network models can exhibit learning-like behaviors (conditioning, habituation, counting).
  • Treating molecular networks as learning agents reveals hidden computational capacities.
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