The Giants Shoulder Biology Is Cognition The Whole Way Down! Best of Giant's Shoulder 2025
Jan 2, 2026
Michael Levin, a pioneering biologist known for his work on xenobots, discusses cells exhibiting surprising regenerative capacities and their unexpected behaviors. Philosopher Anna Ciaunica argues that cognition predates neurons, presenting intelligence as an adaptive survival mechanism across scales. Physician-scientist William Miller suggests that individual cells are conscious and resolve ambiguity, reshaping our understanding of autonomy. Science writer Philip Ball delves into the ethical implications of growing brain organoids from personal cells, prompting critical reflections on consciousness.
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Human Cells Form Motile Anthrobots
- Levin tested human tracheal epithelial cells and found they self-assembled into ciliated, motile anthrobots.
- These human cells even clustered to repair neural scratches and altered thousands of gene expressions.
Test Systems By Matching Their Interaction Space
- Design experiments to reveal the specific goals and interaction space of unfamiliar systems.
- Treat assessment as a two-way IQ test: test your ability to find the right protocols.
Criteria For Attributing Consciousness
- Use standard criteria for attributing consciousness: behavior, architecture, and evolutionary lineage.
- The same reasons we attribute consciousness to animals justify considering non-neural tissues as having experience.