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Picasso Tadpoles: Michael Levin on the 'Dark Matter' of Biology
Dr. Michael Levin of Tufts University crosses many disciplines: computer science, embryo development, cancer and tumor research; limb regeneration; evolutionary theory and neural networks. If you watch some of Michael's fascinating talks at https://ase.tufts.edu/biology/labs/levin/research/presentations.htm he'll take you down his magical rabbit hole including worms that grow new heads when you cut them in half, tumors that heal themselves and eyes planted on tails that actually work. In this interview, Michael explodes the myth that "we've got it mostly figured out." The truth is closer to 1% understanding and 99% is Dark Matter. Discover Michael's research at https://allencenter.tufts.edu/our-team/michael-levin/ and http://www.drmichaellevin.org.
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Why You Must Be In Vancouver Sept 23 & 24
37:32Bob Regnerus digs into the real story behind Azra Raza's day long fireside chat in Vancouver, British Columbia Sept 23 & 24, 2023. Full information at evo2.org/vancouver.Understanding Living Systems with Ray and Denis Noble
01:08:11The overwhelming success of genetics and molecular biology in the 1970s had an unfortunate side effect. DNA became the 'be-all' and 'end-all' of biology, and “the selfish gene” became the new secular pop religion. Physiology and medicine suffered great blows from this shift. The human genome project, though valuable, did not deliver even 10% of what it promised, and the consequences to healthcare have been devastating. The new book Understanding Living Systems by Raymond and Denis Noble is an easy-to-read guide to the New Biology that brings purpose back into nature and respects the agency and autonomy of each organism and its systems. Denis Noble website: https://www.dpag.ox.ac.uk/team/denis-nobleRay Noble website: https://iris.ucl.ac.uk/iris/browse/profile?upi=RNOBL24The Truth About AI that not 1 Video in 100 is Acknowledging
49:36Bryan Trilli is a serial entrepreneur who owns a company called Optimized Marketing that trains machine learning programmers to write better code. In this interview, he forcefully challenges the fiction of the “AI Singularity” showing that it’s impossible for this to happen given current technology. Consequently, we are asking all of the wrong questions. In this interview, we discuss what the real questions are.Johnjoe McFadden: Occam's Razor and Quantum Biology
38:10Occam's Razor says the simplest explanation is the best. While its application has many subtleties, it tells us that the best model of theory is the one that's most elegant and invokes the fewest extraneous explanations. Johnjoe McFadden is a professor at the University of Surrey in the UK and we discuss simplicity and the mind-bending world of quantum biology.Website: https://johnjoemcfadden.co.uk/When Dinosaur Books Are More Dangerous Than Playboy Magazine
52:54Scott Ransom’s mom grounded him from the nonfiction section of the library so that he would not be corrupted by evolutionary ideas from godless secular scientists. But the questions persisted and the fascination grew. Many years later, he wrote a book reconciling modern evolutionary science with ancient Hebrew texts. His book ...And It Was So: How Modern Science Sheds New Light on the Biblical Account of Creation goes far beyond the stereotypical debates to land in new insights. Scott's website: www.ransombooks.comNature’s Invisible Symphony: The Sounds of Life with Karen Bakker
38:52Did you know that 99% of the sounds in nature are at frequencies we cannot hear? Karen Bakker opens up an entire universe of sounds and communication between elephants, whales, moths, trees, tissues and even cells. The world around us is buzzing with communication and meaning that few of us ever suspected. Karen’s book The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology Is Bringing Us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants tells stories that will amaze you and she shares some of them in this interview.The Threshold: Leading in the Age of AI - Interview with Nick Chatrat
47:00For many years, we humans have bench-marked ourselves against machines without even realizing it. Many scientists believe that humans really are just machines. Nick Chatrath sharply disagrees and says that the age of AI is going to demand that humans be more human than ever before. He insists that we've never needed a bridge between science and the humanities more than we need it right now. This extends to all aspects of leadership and organization, from startup companies to institutions and governments. Nick Chatrath's book The Threshold: Leading in the Age of AIFrom Rebellious Teenager to Young Adult: Intelligent Design Grows Up
01:17:19Paul Nelson of the Discovery Institute blogged about my interview with Joana Xavier lamenting that we did not fully endorse intelligent design. This created a perfect opportunity for us to sit down and talk with Paul in person and discuss our agreements and differences. Here we explore the gray zone between “life is a miracle” and “no miracles allowed” and we ask the question: How can a design paradigm enhance medicine and science research? Joana Xavier is a researcher at University College London and is a staff member with Evolution 2.0.Paul's blog post on Evolution News & Science Today. Perry's Evolution 2.0 interview with Joana.Joana’s website.Nancy’s Cancer: We spent $2M and tried EVERYTHING
54:52Joe Riggio’s wife, Nancy, was given a maximum of 10 years to live in her cancer diagnosis. She lived for 17 years, most of them in a very active adventurous lifestyle. They spent $2M and pursued every alternative treatment imaginable. Here Dr. Joseph Riggio accounts in detail the journey with fascinating glimpses of many treatments that did prove effective. Our conversation closes with concluding thoughts about patient responsibility and the business of cancer.https://www.josephriggio.com/