First published on the Steem blockchain by @remlaps on April 06, 2021. View the original post.
A Tufts University lab has used evolutionary programming to build xenobots, novel organisms that are designed by computer and constructed out of living cells
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/03/09/09/17/deer-1245712_960_720.jpg
Pixabay license: source |
Introduction
The other day, I shared a link in the Steem Links community to a TED interview with Michael Levin. The interview is titled, The electrical blueprints that orchestrate life.
Frankly, I'm surprised that this topic hasn't made a bigger news splash, or if it has, I'm surprised that I missed it until now. The discussion is fascinating, and after looking over the Levin Lab web site, I thought it deserved to be the subject of a more complete article.
Along with my #steemlinks share the other day, I just found a YouTube embed of the talk:
Most of us are familiar with the idea that DNA contains the instructions that tell our bodies how to grow and develop, but Levin informs us that another component of a body's ability to self-organize is a form of electrical signaling that he calls bioelectricity. In the interview, Levin says that during embryonic development or tissue regeneration, the cells use this bioelectricity to communicate with each other in a way that enables them to make intelligent seeming decisions.
After viewing that TED interview over the week-end, last night I took a look at another interview, recorded in 2012 and posted on YouTube in 2013. It's here:
After listening to those two interviews and skimming through other parts of the Levin Lab's web site, it seems to me that the overarching long-term themes of the team's research include the following:
- DNA in animals contains the instructions that are used in embryonic development, childhood growth, and for regeneration in species that are naturally capable of it.
- That information is available throughout an animal's lifetime.
- Bio-electrical signaling can be used to activate cells in order to make use of that information and harness it for regenerative or healing purposes.
- It is therefore possible for higher order animals (including people) to regenerate and heal organs and maybe even eyes, limbs, and other extremities.
- This same signaling can be harnessed by researchers in order to modify the way an organism looks or functions, or even to create totally new organisms.
