Michael Levin Cell Intelligence in Physiological and Morphological Spaces

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Talk kindly contributed by Michael Levin in SEMF's 2022 Spacious Spatiality • https://semf.org.es/spatiality • TALK ABSTRACT • Life was solving problems in metabolic, genetic, physiological, and anatomical spaces long before brains and nervous systems appeared. In this talk, I will describe remarkable capabilities of cell groups as they create, repair, and remodel complex anatomies. Anatomical homeostasis reveals that groups of cells are collective intelligences; their cognitive medium is the same as that of the human mind: electrical signals propagating in cell networks. I will explain non-neural bioelectricity and the tools we use to track the basal cognition of cells and tissues and control their function for applications in regenerative medicine. I will conclude with a discussion of our framework based on evolutionary scaling of intelligence by pivoting conserved mechanisms that allow agents, whether designed or evolved, to navigate complex problem spaces. • TALK MATERIALS • · The Electrical Blueprints that Orchestrate Life (TED Talk): https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_lev... • · Michael Levin's interviews and presentations: https://ase.tufts.edu/biology/labs/le... • · Michael Levin's publications: https://ase.tufts.edu/biology/labs/le... • · The Institute for Computationally Designed Organisms (ICDO): https://icdorgs.org/ • MICHAEL LEVIN • Department of Biology, Tufts University: https://as.tufts.edu/biology • Tufts University profile: https://ase.tufts.edu/biology/labs/le... • Wyss Institute profile: https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/associa... • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael...) • Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?... • Twitter: / drmichaellevin • LinkedIn: / michael-levin-b0983a6 • SEMF NETWORKS • Website: https://semf.org.es • Twitter: / semf_nexus • LinkedIn: / semf-nexus • Instagram: / semf.nexus • Facebook: / semf.nexus • MUSIC • / baroquenoise • • TIMESTAMPS • 00:00:00 INTRODUCTION • 00:01:27 All intelligence is collective intelligence • 00:03:45 Main points of the talk • 00:04:32 Single cell spatial competencies • 00:06:19 Outline of the talk • 00:06:46 PLASTICITY • 00:08:18 Planarian memories survive brain regeneration • 00:09:29 Tadpoles can see with artificially implanted eyes • 00:10:42 Biological systems have competency in different scales and spaces • 00:12:56 Planaria regenerates head with new adaptive gene expression • 00:15:06 Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere • 00:16:34 INTELLIGENT NAVIGATION IN MORPHOSPACE • 00:16:34 Where are anatomy and shape encoded in biology? • 00:17:55 Biomedical endgame: anatomical compiler • 00:19:01 Unpredictability of anatomy of chimeric species: frogolotls • 00:19:59 Hardware and software: analogy between nowadays biology and 40s-50s computer science • 00:21:15 What is morphospace? • 00:23:26 Examples of natural regeneration • 00:25:15 Cells change molecular mechanisms to adapt shape to artifical constraints • 00:27:05 Induced frog leg regenration takes different path than default limb development • 00:28:08 Facial mispatterning in tadpoles still ends in normal frog faces • 00:29:36 Feedback loops in pattern homeostasis and goal-directedness • 00:31:34 BIOELECTRICITY • 00:31:38 Usual example of bioelectricity explaining goal-directedness: the brain • 00:32:49 Generalizing: non-brain tissues also encode goals through bioelectricity • 00:34:36 Reading and writing electrical information in non-brain tissues • 00:35:29 Reading #1: “electric face” before face development • 00:36:45 Reading #2: electric signature before tumor development • 00:37:12 Writing electrical information in non-brain tissues using neuroscience tools • 00:38:12 Writing #1: inducing voltage patterns that develop organs and limbs • 00:40:16 Writing #2: inducing limb regeneration • 00:42:08 Writing #3: inducing anatomical memory that produces two-headed planaria when injured • 00:47:01 Writing #4: inducing shape changes • 00:48:36 Developing quantitative, predictive models • 00:49:27 Writing #5: correcting brain defects using model predictions • 00:51:14 Electroceutical drugs • 00:52:09 TECHNOLOGICAL APPROACH TO MIND EVERYWHERE • 00:52:18 Different scales of biological systems have different goals • 00:55:00 Potential application to reverse cancer • 00:55:48 Diversity of intelligences • 00:57:16 Multi-scale control and up-scaling goals across spaces • 00:59:01 Behavior of skin cells clusters when isolated: xenobots • 01:07:15 Overview of the Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere • 01:08:00 The space of intelligent agents and its implications for ethics

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