Michael Levin’s research fundamentally challenges the traditional biological view that intelligence is exclusive to the brain, proposing instead that "mind" and agency are distributed throughout all levels of biological organization. By studying how cellular collectives communicate via bioelectric networks, Levin demonstrates that cells cooperate toward a specific "target morphology," or anatomical goal, independent of a fixed genetic blueprint. This is most vividly illustrated by the creation of Xenobots—synthetic lifeforms made from frog skin cells that spontaneously reorganize into new organisms with novel behaviors, such as kinematic self-replication. This "scale-free cognition" suggests that evolution provides a versatile toolkit rather than a rigid instruction manual, allowing biological systems to solve problems and adapt their forms in ways that transcend their natural evolutionary history.
The implications of this work extend into a "new frontier" of regenerative medicine and philosophy, shifting focus from genomic editing to cracking the bioelectric code that governs complex growth. Levin envisions a future where we can "reprogram" cellular collectives to trigger organ repair, limb regeneration, or the reversal of birth defects by communicating with the system’s inherent intelligence. As the boundaries between biological, synthetic, and mechanical life continue to blur through the creation of hybrids and cyborgs, his research forces a re-evaluation of what it means to be an individual. Ultimately, Levin argues for moving past historical philosophical taboos to embrace a science focused on outcomes, potentially transforming our approach to aging, disease, and the very definition of human agency.
Long-duration spaceflight causes a significant physical shift of the human brain within the skull, moving it backward, upward, and rotating it in pitch. By analyzing MRI scans of 26 astronauts, researchers found that these displacements—reaching over 2 millimeters in long-duration flyers—are widespread across nearly 130 brain regions and correlate with post-flight balance issues, particularly when shifts occur in sensory-related areas. While most of these anatomical changes recover within six months of returning to Earth, some deformations persist, suggesting that current ground-based microgravity simulations (like head-down tilt bed rest) do not fully capture the complexities of how actual space travel alters neuroanatomy. Despite these detailed findings, the most pivotal unanswered question remains: what are the long-term clinical and cognitive consequences of these physical brain shifts, and do they pose a permanent risk to the health and longevity of astronauts embarking on multi-year missions to Mars?
This video provides an overview of how the brain physically repositions itself during spaceflight and the potential implications for future missions to the Moon and Mars. [1]
This study reveals that 18 of Earth’s largest river deltas, including the Nile and Amazon, are sinking at rates significantly faster than global sea levels are rising, driven primarily by localized human activities like groundwater extraction and sediment starvation from dams. This research answers the pivotal question of whether global climate change or local intervention is the dominant threat to these regions; it concludes that for many deltas, human-induced land subsidence is the primary driver of "relative sea-level rise." This finding is critical because it suggests that while global warming remains a threat, the immediate survival of these deltas and their 236 million inhabitants depends on local management of water and sediment resources.
I wonder how much the 2026 SNAP food stamp item rule changes will move this needle further, with several states using new federal waivers to restrict "junk food" items like soda, candy, energy drinks, or prepared desserts?
LEGO announced the Smart Brick at CES Media Day. It contains a tiny chip and speakers that allow the bricks to "know" what you’re building and respond with sound effects and lights based on the specific set (starting with a Star Wars collaboration).
There is a gradual chilling effect of self-censorship to mass surveillance and loss of anonymity. When you know you are being watched, you change your behavior. You don't visit the "wrong" protest, you don't meet with the "controversial" whistleblower, and you don't seek out the "unpopular" doctor. Total surveillance creates a "soft" totalitarianism where citizens police their own movements to avoid falling into a "high-risk" algorithm, even if they've done nothing illegal. At its extreme, such societies end up with no outliers, no more of "the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels." (Steve Jobs). Safety and compliance at all cost.
The peer-reviewed consensus of this in psychology describes a three-step internal process of Anticipatory Anxiety, Risk Aversion and Self-Censorship [1]. The Conforming Effect (Conformity Theory) has been measured in studies such as those by Jonathon Penney (2016/2021), where use of Wikipedia data and search traffic shows a statistical drop in "sensitive" searches (e.g., about "terrorism," "human rights," or "health") immediately following news of government surveillance. [2]
Yup, I agree. And this is why I think mass surveillance isn’t just another technology to regulate. The chilling effect isn’t misuse; it’s the default: continuous, opaque observation changes behavior by itself. Because it’s centralized and unavoidable, people self-censor and conform; you don’t need arrests once everyone assumes they’re being scored.
We don’t yet have long-run examples of fully algorithmic surveillance societies, so the outcome isn’t certain. But if these dynamics scale, the risk is trading experimentation for legibility. Problems get hidden, metrics look clean, and warning signals vanish. When real stress hits, responses are late and blunt - overcorrection, cascading failures, accelerated exit. Stability holds until it doesn’t.
I think especially heinous is the use of Zero-Knowledge (ZK) Proof technologies where a centralized attestation authority (e.g. government agency) verifies compliance, and the verifier (e.g. business needing to prove compliance) relies on the ZK cryptographic proof of compliance without revealing the individual. This revocable privacy can unmask the real identity in the case of asserted "suspicious" activity. This is the current direction of mainstream technology, and all it serves to accomplish is a normalization of loss of privacy and anonymity.
Tech-minded folk will clap like trained seals, as second-option bias takes over, when someone big on the fediverse suggests implementing ZKP algorithms to comply with identity attestation laws.
It's sad, but not surprising, to see. We'll design the most secure systems with the new shiny just to confirm whether the government believes you should be able post on Reddit or not.
>Total surveillance creates a "soft" totalitarianism
And every step of the way the enablers will defend it on the grounds of "well you still technically can do the thing if you're willing to put up with some absurd risks or jump through some insane and impractical hoops specifically designed to be non-starters for many/most."
The implications of this work extend into a "new frontier" of regenerative medicine and philosophy, shifting focus from genomic editing to cracking the bioelectric code that governs complex growth. Levin envisions a future where we can "reprogram" cellular collectives to trigger organ repair, limb regeneration, or the reversal of birth defects by communicating with the system’s inherent intelligence. As the boundaries between biological, synthetic, and mechanical life continue to blur through the creation of hybrids and cyborgs, his research forces a re-evaluation of what it means to be an individual. Ultimately, Levin argues for moving past historical philosophical taboos to embrace a science focused on outcomes, potentially transforming our approach to aging, disease, and the very definition of human agency.
See also his interviews with Lex Fridman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3lsYlod5OU (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33049043)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp0rCU49lMs
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