Thoughtforms Life

In a fascinating discussion, mathematician David Spivak delves into goal-directedness and the intriguing nature of mathematical vs. physical constants. He explores the origins of goals, questioning if they arise from evolution or human design. The conversation shifts to how patterns emerge and guide systems, with thoughts on the dynamic nature of platonic forms. Spivak also examines cognitive tendencies in minimal systems, contemplating how behavior across scales can reveal implicit goals, while pondering the clustering of mathematical constants.

Michael Levin, a leading biologist at Tufts University, sheds light on the fascinating world of endogenous bioelectrical networks. He reveals how these networks can tap into cellular intelligence for breakthroughs in regenerative medicine, potentially transforming treatments for cancer and aging. The discussion showcases the impressive adaptability of organisms like axolotls, which can regenerate lost limbs. Levin also dives into self-assembling human cells with unique healing capabilities, painting a hopeful future for biomedical research.

This is a new ~1 hour talk by me on the concept of diverse intelligence, and morphogenesis as a model system with which to practice identifying and communicating with unconventional minds. This is a bit different than previous ones because I explicitly go over examples of how some of our various data on bioelectrics addresses each of several key properties of cellular collectives as *cognitive agents* navigating anatomical morphospace. CONNECT WITH ME:Podcast WebsiteYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterBlogThe Levin Lab

This is a ~1 hour total presentation by Pier Luigi Gentili (https://www.pierluigigentili.com/) and brainstorming session about chemical intelligence and its relationship to the broader field of diverse intelligence. CONNECT WITH ME:Podcast WebsiteYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterBlogThe Levin Lab

This is a ~50 minute talk by me (given at IIT Mandi yesterday) on bioelectricity from the perspective of both, a path to regenerative medicine of birth defects, injury repair, and cancer, and a model system for learning to communicate with unconventional collective intelligences. CONNECT WITH ME:Podcast WebsiteYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterBlogThe Levin Lab

This is a ~30 minute conversation with Benjamin Lyons (https://benjaminflyons.com/), Mark Blumberg (https://blumberg.lab.uiowa.edu), and Karen Adolph (https://as.nyu.edu/faculty/karen-adolph.html) on the field of motor development and behavior in humans and other animals, and the ties between that field and the morphogenetic intelligence of embryogenesis and regeneration. Suggested reading: Adolph, K. E. (2020). Oh, behave! Presidential address. Infancy, 25, 347-392. Adolph, K. E., Hoch, J. ... CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin Lab

This is a ~35 minute talk about diverse intelligence and our efforts to establish formalisms and methods for communicating with unconventional biological intelligences. CHAPTERS:(00:00) Expanding Mind Blindness(02:50) Recognizing Diverse Minds(05:00) Embodied Agent Origins(08:40) Anatomical Intelligence Spaces(12:40) Bioelectricity: Body's Glue(15:50) Communicating Cell Intelligence(22:30) Patterns Beyond Physics(25:00) Anthrobots: Novel Life Forms(27:30) Future Beings, Pattern Space(32:30) Conclusion and ThanksCONNECT WITH ME:Podcast WebsiteYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterBlogThe Levin Lab

This is a ~20 minute very rapid talk reviewing ideas around the scaling of intelligence in unconventional substrates. CHAPTERS:(00:00) Intro & Unconventional Concepts(00:40) Challenging Traditional Worldviews(01:40) Life as Continua(03:00) Electromagnetic Spectrum Analogy(04:30) Spectrum of Mind Applications(05:50) Single Cell to Mind(07:10) Agential Material: Cell Competency(08:00) Intelligence Below Cells(09:00) Multiscale Competency Architecture(10:00) Anatomical Alignment Problem(12:30) Bioelectricity: Cognitive Glue(13:30) Scaling Goals: Light Cone(14:30) Salamander Regeneration Example(15:30) Tadpole Eye on Tail(17:00) Bioelectrical Interface Methods(18:00) Rewriting Body Memory(19:00) Frog Limb Regeneration(20:30) Plasticity: Novel Organisms(21:30) Anthrobots from Human Cells(23:00) Future of Viable Agents(24:00) Synthbiosis: Recognizing Minds(25:00) Credits and ThanksCONNECT WITH ME:Podcast WebsiteYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterBlogThe Levin Lab

This is a short summary talk by Ivan Kroupin (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XjxueRYAAAAJ&hl=en) and Tian Chen Zeng (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tian-Chen-Zeng) and then a discussion of issues around biological and cultural multi-scale intelligence. Their longer talk is here: https://youtu.be/dYuNJSilRMo?si=gVvMV_N4pjloe0iX CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin Lab

This is a ~30 minute talk to an Ethics class (undergraduates) about aspects of our work that have implications for ethics. CHAPTERS:(00:00) Intelligence All The Way Down(06:30) Scaling Up Cognition(13:40) Communicating With Cellular Intelligence(20:00) Freedom of Embodiment(27:40) Ethics of Future BeingsCONNECT WITH ME:Podcast WebsiteYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterBlogThe Levin Lab