Best Morphogenesis Podcasts (2025)

1
Against Mind-Blindness: Recognizing and Communicating With Diverse Intelligences 35:49

17d ago35:49

35:49

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 Glu…

1
Scaling Intelligence in Biology, Artificial Life, and Beyond 24:04

21d ago24:04

24:04

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)…

1
Ethics and the New Biology 32:33

1M ago32:33

32:33

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 Beings CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTub…

1
Life, Mind, and Computing: A Diverse Intelligence Perspective 33:08

3M ago33:08

33:08

This is a very fast (~33min) flyover of some ideas relevant to the relationship between biology, computation, cognition, consciousness, and related subjects. This was given at the amazing Progress and Visions in Consciousness Science series (https://amcs-community.org/events/progress-visions-series/) as the prologue to a discussion. CHAPTERS: (00:0…

1
Bioelectric Networks: An Interface to Engineering with the Agential Material of Life 1:02:32

3M ago1:02:32

1:02:32

This is a ~1 hour talk (given at the Departmental Seminar series at the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences) on the use of a cognitive approach to bioengineering and regenerative medicine, in which morphogenesis is the behavior (in anatomical space) of a collective intelligence of cellular swarms. I describe our …

1
Unconventional Biology, Minimal Models of Intelligence, and Bio-Inspired Computing 1:10:01

4M ago1:10:01

1:10:01

This is a 1 hour 10 minute presentation of ideas around the architecture of biology (and how it differs from today's computational systems). Focusing on morphogenesis as a model of collective intelligence, I talk about the intelligence ratchet that results from life's need to creatively interpret information on the cognitive, developmental, and evo…

1
Novel Bodies, Unconventional Minds: Diverse Intelligence and the Study of Consciousness 1:20:54

5M ago1:20:54

1:20:54

This is a ~55 minute talk titled "Novel Bodies, Unconventional Minds: a diverse intelligence perspective on a continuum of cognition (and consciousness)" by Michael Levin given at the CIFAR (https://cifar.ca/next-generation/cifar-neuroscience-of-consciousness-winter-school/) Neuroscience of Consciousness Winter School, + about 20 min of Q&A. My lab…

1
Self-Constructing Bodies, Collective Minds: The Intersection of CS, Cognitive Bio, and Philosophy 1:12:57

6M ago1:12:57

1:12:57

This is a 1 hour 12 minute talk presented at the 2nd Symposium on the Philosophy of Computing at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. It covers the ways in which biological computation is different from most of today's computer architectures, and concludes with a different way to think about emergence of cognition (not just complexity or un…

1
Embodied Minds: Discovering Diverse Intelligence through the Lens of Biomedicine 46:39

8M ago46:39

46:39

This is a ~45 minute talk given at the Imagining Summit (https://www.artificiality.world/the-imagining-summit/) on Diverse Intelligence and synthbiosis, approaching those topics via communication with cellular collectives in the context of regenerative medicine. The newer material is at the end. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Diverse Intelligence and Goals (02:…

1
Unconventional Cognition Through the Lens of Cellular Collective Intelligence in Morphogenesis 1:08:14

9M ago1:08:14

1:08:14

This is a 1 hour 8 minute talk covering topics of collective intelligence in morphogenesis as a model system for thinking about the origin and scaling of cognition in diverse embodiments. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Diverse Intelligence Framework (12:00) Morphogenesis Problem Solving (22:00) Bioelectric Pattern Memory (34:30) Exploring Latent Space CONNECT W…

1
The Bioelectric Basis of Morphogenetic Intelligence: A Roadmap for Cancer Medicine 45:49

9M ago45:49

45:49

This is a ~45 minute keynote talk at the Bioelectricity and Cancer conference (https://cam.cancer.gov/research/bioelectricity_and_cancer_conference.htm) held at NIH in September 2024. CHAPTERS: (00:00) What is Cancer? (13:00) Cognitive Light Cone & Cancer (18:00) Bioelectric Layer: Cognitive Glue (23:00) Bioelectricity in Cancer (28:00) Tools: Imag…

1
The Collective Intelligence of Morphogenesis: A Model System for Basal Cognition 58:47

9M ago58:47

58:47

This is a ~1 hour talk on morphogenesis as a collective intelligence and some specifics about cognitive glue. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Intro: Diverse Intelligence Overview (01:40) Discrete Kinds vs Continuum (03:50) Intelligence in Novel Spaces (06:00) Cells as Collective Intelligence (09:30) Morphogenesis and Agential Material (12:30) Defining Intelligen…

1
The Mind of the Body: A Window into Embodiment and Our Future 27:38

10M ago27:38

27:38

"Metaphysics and the Matter with Things: Thinking with Iain McGilchrist was a collaborative conference put on by the Center for Process Studies (CPS) and the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in March of 2024. This three-day conference brought leading process thinkers across various disciplines, including physics, neuroscience, psycho…

1
Biorobotics: Engineering with Agential Materials 55:38

1y ago55:38

55:38

This is an ~1 hour talk by Michael Levin on the topic of engineering with agential (living) materials, given for the students and other members of the ETHZ Zurich Soft Robotics Lab led by Prof. Robert Katzschmann). CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction: Biorobotics & Materials (02:20) The Anatomical Compiler (04:15) Agential Materials & Competency (07:00)…

1
Where Minds Come From: The Scaling of Collective Intelligence, and What It Means for AI and You 55:03

1y ago55:03

55:03

This is a ~45 minute talk I gave to some undergraduate students about ideas from biology that might help them think about AI and related topics. CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
What Can Worms and Frogs Teach Us About Collective Intelligence? 48:20

1y ago48:20

48:20

This is a talk I gave at a large tech company for non-specialists interested in the intersection of computation, biology, and fundamental questions about Selfhood. It's about 48 minutes long and unfortunately does not capture my cursor movement so you can't see the things on the slides at which I am pointing. CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTub…

1
Bioelectric Networks Underlie the Collective Intelligence of Morphogenesis 48:51

1y ago48:51

48:51

This is about a ~45 minute talk by me, focusing specifically on parallels between morphogenesis and cognitive/behavioral science (given to a neuroscience audience). CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
A Bioelectric Interface to the Collective Intelligence of Agential Materials for Bioengineering 55:24

1+ y ago55:24

55:24

This is a 1 hour talk by Michael Levin to an audience of biomedical engineering students. CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
Bioelectricity, Biobots, and the Future of Biology 30:03

1+ y ago30:03

30:03

A 30-minute talk (from April 2023) by Michael Levin given to an audience interested in longevity and the future of biotechnology research. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction & Design Challenge (04:00) Genome vs. Anatomical Form (08:00) Inverse Problem & Top-Down (13:00) Cellular Collective Intelligence (17:00) Regeneration & Bioelectricity (22:00) Read…

1
Bioelectricity as Cognitive Glue: From Diverse Intelligence to Regenerative Medicine (~1 hour talk) 1:16:00

1+ y ago1:16:00

1:16:00

A talk by Michael Levin (with Q&A at the end) given at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Colloquium given in November 2023 (not May as the title screen says). CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
A 1 hour Lecture on Bioelectricity for a Department of Parasitology/Immunology by Michael Levin 58:59

1+ y ago58:59

58:59

This is a 1 hour talk on bioelectricity with a special slant toward microbiology/immunology/parasitology. More information is athttps://thoughtforms.life/?p=1722 including some audio of Q&A afterward. CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
Bioelectricity as the Software of Life: From Cognitive Glue to Regenerative Medicine 56:58

1+ y ago56:58

56:58

This is a talk I gave (1 hour) to a computer science and robotics audience. CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
Neuroscience Beyond Neurons: Bioelectricity Underlies the Collective Intelligence of Cellular Swarms 1:04:41

1+ y ago1:04:41

1:04:41

This is a talk I gave to a neuroscience audience for the Harley Hotchkiss Memorial Lecture at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge, Canada. 1 hr 4 minutes. CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
Bioelectric Networks as the Interface to Somatic Intelligence for Regenerative Medicine 50:36

1+ y ago50:36

50:36

This is a ~50 minute talk by Michael Levin to a clinical audience about bioelectricity and why it represents a new approach to medicine. CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
Bioelectrical Signals Reveal, Induce, and Normalize Cancer 52:05

2y ago52:05

52:05

This is a ~1 hour talk by Mike Levin on the bioelectrics of cancer as a breakdown of multicellularity and collective intelligence of morphogenesis. The full title is: "Bioelectrical signals reveal, induce, and normalize cancer: a perspective on cancer as a disease of dynamic geometry" CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify …

1
My Talk on Consciousness at the Science of Consciousness 2023 33:57

2y ago33:57

33:57

A 30-minute talk on implications of my work for the study of consciousness (fyi, I do not offer a new theory of consciousness or try to support/rule out any of the existing ToC's; I talk about reasons to suspect consciousness in other parts of bodies than the brain and other diverse embodiments). CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podca…

1
Understanding the Collective Intelligence of Cells 1:13:44

2y ago1:13:44

1:13:44

A talk I have at the University of Hertfordshire CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
Talk for Robosoft 2023 45:40

2y ago45:40

45:40

Biology hacking itself, Xenobots, and morphogenesis CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
Engineering with Agential Materials: From Evolution to Biological Robotics, via Bioelectricity 59:43

2+ y ago59:43

59:43

CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
Beyond the Brain: Multiscale Diverse Intelligence as Biological Inspiration for AI 1:03:45

2+ y ago1:03:45

1:03:45

This is a talk I gave to an audience of computer scientists and neuroscientists, interested in AI, consciousness, and the brain. CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
Bioelectric Networks Underlie the Intelligence of the Body 1:03:23

2+ y ago1:03:23

1:03:23

This is a talk given to the Department of Biotechnology at Indian Institute of Technology Madras in January 2023. CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin

1
Diverse Intelligence 1:20:36

2+ y ago1:20:36

1:20:36

A talk on "Diverse Intelligence: understanding and relating to unconventional biological, engineered, and hybrid agents" by Michael Levin CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin LabBy Michael Levin