This is a podcast with Lex Fridman hosting Dr. Michael Levin on the subjects of Biology, Life, Aliens, Evolution, Embryogenesis, and Xenobots. Dr. Levin is a developmental and synthetic biologist at Tufts University and the Director of the Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology.
Dr. Levin gets our attention within the first few sentences. He begins by describing a worm-like creature about two centimeters long. Unlike a worm, it has a head, tail, and well-formed brain. The first remarkable thing about this creature is that it doesn’t age and never dies of natural causes. We return to this creature later in the dialog.
First among many intriguing topics discussed is embryogenesis. This is the well-known process of a single cell, described as a small bag of chemicals, behaving subordinate to the laws of chemistry and physics, producing a complete organism with full cognition. With hidden instructions and information, this slow, deliberate process provides the transition from matter to life. That correlation is fundamental to Dr. Levin’s work.
I want to skip now to the dialog concerning the planarian. This is the worm-like creature referenced above. Michael describes a laboratory procedure where the planarian is cut into two pieces, and each piece regenerates the missing half completely. This results in two identical worms. The fantastic feature of the worm with the newly regenerated head and brain is that it still remembers the memories and training of the original brain.
More discussion takes place concerning other organisms with regenerative capabilities for limbs and organs with precise accuracy. Dr. Levin’s primary pursuit is where this information and instruction is stored for these fantastic feats to be performed.
This review doesn’t begin to outline the intrigue explored in this podcast. The word most frequently used in the comment section is “mind-blowing,” which is entirely accurate.
Content link: Michael Levin: Biology, Life, Aliens, Evolution, Embryogenesis & Xenobots | Lex Fridman Podcast #325 – YouTube
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