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Dr. Michael Levin on Embodied Minds and Cognitive Agents

In this episode, Dr. Michael Levin, Distinguished Professor of Biology at Tufts University, joins Nathan to discuss embodied minds, his research into limb regeneration and collective intelligence, cognitive light cones, and much more. Dr. Levin and the Levin Lab work at the intersection of biology, artificial life, bioengineering, synthetic morphology, and cognitive science.

LINKS:
The Levin Lab and Dr. Michael Levin’s research: https://drmichaellevin.org/resources/
Dr Michael Levin’s blog: https://thoughtforms.life/about/
Tufts University Faculty Profile: https://as.tufts.edu/biology/people/f… Levin @ Wyss Institute: https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/associa… Dr. Levin’s Research on Limb Regeneration: https://news.uchicago.edu/how-bioelec… SPONSORS: The Brave search API can be used to assemble a data set to train your AI models and help with retrieval augmentation at the time of inference. All while remaining affordable with developer first pricing, integrating the Brave search API into your workflow translates to more ethical data sourcing and more human representative data sets. Try the Brave search API for free for up to 2000 queries per month at https://brave.com/api Omneky is an omnichannel creative generation platform that lets you launch hundreds of thousands of ad iterations that actually work customized across all platforms, with a click of a button. Omneky combines generative AI and real-time advertising data. Mention “Cog Rev” for 10% off www.omneky.com NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform ✅ head to NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/cognitive and download your own customized KPI checklist. X/SOCIAL @labenz (Nathan)@drmichaellevin (Michael) @CogRev_Podcast TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Preview (01:07) Intro and brief summary (05:40) Xenobots, anthrobots and the other creatures created by Mike Levin (09:39) Bioelectric memory rewriting (15:01) Sponsor | BraveSearch API (16:09) The difficulty of conducting simulations, which involve running forward passes to predict and alter electrical patterns (20:30) The concept of backpropagation and mode switching in AI models (23:06) Why humans do not regenerate their limbs (37:10) Sponsor | Netsuite (39:40) Learning from small and biological systems onto the concept of possible emergence (45:16) The criticality of multiple scale questions and would a single scale? (55:49) The concept of the cognitive light cone (59:43) Advice on habits of mind and suggestions for inspiration on the AI side (1:13:36) Mike’s suggested directions for the AI developers (1:24:49) Wrap & Sponsor | Omneky The Cognitive Revolution is produced by Turpentine: a media network covering technology, business, and culture. Producer: Vivian Meng Editor: Graham Bessellieu For sponsor or guest inquiries, email: [email protected] Music licenses: ABZUSWHJII08TSRH 376I29BQPJASOLX2
Michael Levin @ Wyss Institute: https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/associa…
Dr. Levin’s Research on Limb Regeneration: https://news.uchicago.edu/how-bioelec…

SPONSORS:
The Brave search API can be used to assemble a data set to train your AI models and help with retrieval augmentation at the time of inference. All while remaining affordable with developer first pricing, integrating the Brave search API into your workflow translates to more ethical data sourcing and more human representative data sets. Try the Brave search API for free for up to 2000 queries per month at https://brave.com/api.

Omneky is an omnichannel creative generation platform that lets you launch hundreds of thousands of ad iterations that actually work customized across all platforms, with a click of a button. Omneky combines generative AI and real-time advertising data. Mention \.

Embodied Minds and Cognitive Agents with Dr Michael Levin

In this episode, Dr. Michael Levin, Distinguished Professor of Biology at Tufts University, joins Nathan Labenz of ‪@CognitiveRevolutionAI‬ Podcast to discuss embodied minds, his research into limb regeneration and collective intelligence, cognitive light cones, and much more. Dr. Levin and the Levin Lab work at the intersection of biology, artificial life, bioengineering, synthetic morphology, and cognitive science.

Nathan just recorded a second episode with Michael Levin, on view at • Convergent Evolution: The Co-Revoluti… — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine’s drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveac… RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ ‪@CognitiveRevolutionPodcast‬ The Cognitive Revolution is a podcast about AI where hosts Nathan Labenz and Erik Torenberg interview the builders on the edge of AI and explore the dramatic shift it will unlock over the next decades. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6yHyok3… Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast… — SPONSORS: 🎙️ Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=T… is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes. 📝 Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you — try it for free at https://www.notion.com/product/ai?utm… 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — LINKS: The Levin Lab and Dr. Michael Levin’s research: https://drmichaellevin.org/resources/ Dr Michael Levin’s blog: https://thoughtforms.life/about/ Tufts University Faculty Profile: https://as.tufts.edu/biology/people/f… Michael Levin @ Wyss Institute: https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/associa… Dr. Levin’s Research on Limb Regeneration: https://news.uchicago.edu/how-bioelec… — X / TWITTER: @labenz (Nathan) @drmichaellevin (Michael) @CogRev_Podcast @TurpentineMedia — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (04:50) Xenobots, anthrobots and the other creatures created by Mike Levin (08:50) Bioelectric memory rewriting (14:09) Sponsors: Dealcraft | Notion (16:17) The difficulty of conducting simulations, which involve running forward passes to predict and alter electrical patterns (20:38) The concept of backpropagation and mode switching in AI models (23:12) Why humans do not regenerate their limbs (37:10) Sponsor: Squad (38:19) Learning from small and biological systems onto the concept of possible emergence (45:01) The criticality of multiple scale questions and would a single scale? (55:40) The concept of the cognitive light cone (59:34) Advice on habits of mind and suggestions for inspiration on the AI side (1:13:19) Mike’s suggested directions for the AI developers (1:23:41) Wrap.

📰 Be notified early when Turpentine’s drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveac…

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Retinal fundus imaging as biomarker for ADHD using machine learning for screening and visual attention stratification

Few studies have directly examined the relationship between retinal structure and cognitive function in children. Provost et al. reported an inverse correlation of the dense retinal microvascular network with behavioral outcomes and sustained attention ability, which is consistent with our results66. However, no significant correlation between RNFL thickness and symptom severity of ADHD or EF performance has been reported. This indicates that although RNFL measurements may reflect certain neural characteristics of ADHD, they do not directly correlate with functional impairments67. Our ML model successfully stratified EF severity using retinal photograph analysis but did not achieve stratification of symptom severity as measured using the K-ARS. This corroborates the complexity of ADHD diagnosis and suggests that retinal biomarkers, although potentially valuable, should be considered complementary to conventional diagnostic tools, such as the DSM-5.

Nevertheless, the correlation between the retinal structure and EF deficits in ADHD supports its potential as a therapeutic biomarker. Notably, methylphenidate (MPH), a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, enhances various aspects related to attention in individuals with ADHD68, and significant differences in terms of parafoveal thickness were observed between the ADHD and TD groups, indicating a possible influence of MPH on retinal circulation69. Additionally, retinal thickness was positively correlated with the duration of MPH use, with greater retinal thickness in children undergoing treatment with MPH for 24 months70. Complementing these clinical findings, the animal study has shown that MPH exerts beneficial effects on the retina by reducing microgliosis, mitigating blood-retinal barrier dysfunction, and attenuating inflammatory responses71.

This study has some limitations. First, the dataset was derived from two hospitals in South Korea, potentially limiting the generalizability of our findings to broader populations. Future validation with external datasets encompassing diverse geographical and demographic settings is essential to confirm the global applicability of retinal biomarkers in ADHD screening and visual attention stratification. Nevertheless, our study provides robust preliminary evidence for the potential utility of retinal photographs in this context. Second, while retinal photographs were effective in identifying structural differences associated with ADHD, the two-dimensional nature of these images provides limited information. Although optical coherence tomography (OCT), incorporating three-dimensional imaging techniques, has been explored in ADHD and ASD populations, its results have been inconsistent25,72. Retinal photography, due to its rapidity and accessibility, may serve as a practical screening tool. On the one hand, advanced imaging modalities such as optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) could complement retinal photography by capturing microvascular changes, presenting an alternative for further biomarker investigation. Third, our study focused on participants within a narrow age range (mean: approximately 9 years), which limits the generalizability of the findings to other developmental stages. Future research should investigate whether retinal biomarkers vary across age groups, considering the developmental trajectories of ADHD.

The World’s First Song Created by Artificial Intelligence Using a Quantum Computer Is Here—It Sounds Nothing Like What You Expect

A new kind of song has just been released—and it wasn’t composed the usual way. Powered by an unusual mix of quantum science and AI, this track defies the rules of music creation.

A man without a hand… now feels warmth, pressure, even pain through metal!

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Ferroelectric RAM performs calculations within memory

In a new Nature Communications study, researchers have developed an in-memory ferroelectric differentiator capable of performing calculations directly in the memory without requiring a separate processor.

The proposed differentiator promises energy efficiency, especially for edge devices like smartphones, autonomous vehicles, and security cameras.

Traditional approaches to tasks like image processing and motion detection involve multi-step energy-intensive processes. This begins with recording data, which is transmitted to a memory unit, which further transmits the data to a microcontroller unit to perform differential operations.

How water vapor is powering the next generation of soft robots

Phase-change actuation has been revived for the era of untethered, electrically driven soft robots. Our team at the University of Coimbra have developed a phase transition soft actuator designed to power electric soft robots that require high force and precision. Our innovation leverages the liquid-to-gas phase transition of water to generate mechanical motion in a way that is simple, scalable, and remarkably powerful.

Unlike traditional soft actuators, which often rely on bulky pneumatics, exotic materials, or high voltages, our design exploits a well-known process: boiling. Using a tiny embedded heater, our transforms water into steam, generating internal pressure that drives motion in soft, flexible structures. As a result, our actuator can operate at voltages as low as 24 V, deliver forces exceeding 50 N, and achieve pressurization rates of up to 100 kPa/s.

Our findings are published in Nature Communications.