This is a ~1 hour talk and discussion, comprising part 1 of a conversation with a really interesting young neuroscientist, as well as friend, collaborator, and our Center member, Nicolas Rouleau (https://allencenter.tufts.edu/nicolas… goes over unconventional aspects of neuroscience touching on free will, cybernetics, consciousness, and a lot more. We start a discussion which is continued in part 2. For more information:
Nic’s website: www.rouleaulab.com.
X account: @DrNRouleau.
Recent papers to check out:
Sellar, E.P., Rouleau, N. (In Review). A cybernetic framework for synthetic biological intelligence in the era of neural tissue engineering. Preprint doi: 10.31234/osf.io/md2wf_v1.
Kansala, C., Cicek, E., Nkansah-Okoree, V., Golding, A., Murugan, N.J., Rouleau, N. (In Review). Superstitious conditioning forms the experience of free will under causal determinism. Preprint doi: 10.31234/osf.io/fk3yt_v2.
Roskies, A. \& Rouleau, N. (Forthcoming, In Press). Research on brain organoids should prioritize questions of agency, not consciousness. AJOB Neuroscience.
Scientists in Japan have created powerful new vitamin K-based compounds that may help the brain regenerate lost neurons — a breakthrough that could one day change how diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are treated. By combining vitamin K with components related to vitamin A, the researchers developed compounds that were about three times more effective at turning neural stem cells into neurons than natural vitamin K alone.
A major breakthrough in artificial intelligence may have arrived: scientists have created an artificial neuron capable of communicating with other neurons.
Inspired by the human brain, this technology could allow machines to process information in a far more biological and efficient way. Instead of traditional computing architectures, future systems could operate more like living neural networks.
In this video we explore how artificial neurons work, why this breakthrough matters, and how it could reshape AI, robotics, and neuroscience.
#ArtificialNeuron, #ArtificialIntelligence, #Neuroscience, #FutureTechnology, #AIResearch, #NeuralNetworks
Further Reading.
N3: Next-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology.
https://www.darpa.mil/research/progra…
Advancements in neural closed-loop manipulations in awake, behaving animals.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science…
INSIGHT: Universal Neural Simulator for Analog Circuits Harnessing Autoregressive Transformers.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.
MouseGoggles: an immersive virtual reality headset for mouse neuroscience and behavior.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s4159…
Michael Levin is an American developmental and synthetic biologist at Tufts University, where he is the Vannevar Bush Distinguished Professor. Levin is a director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University and Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology. He is also co-director of the Institute for Computationally Designed Organisms with Josh Bongard.
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Join TOEmail at https://www.curtjaimungal.org.
Timestamps:
00:00 — Intro.
00:30 — Biggest Myths of Biology.
07:18 — Tying Michael’s Work Together.
35:25 — Who Are We (Humans)?
56:10 — Cognition.
01:14:10 — Conscious Agents.
01:33:25 — Bioelectricity and Cancer.
02:16:15 — Support TOE
Join TOEmail at https://www.curtjaimungal.org.
Thanks to Ekkolapto! Ekkolapto is thinkubator that creates ecosystems for the most creatively intelligent to discuss their most unorthodox, interdisciplinary ideas to a critically receptive audience. Visit Ekkolapto at https://ekkolapto.org.
Links Mentioned:
Michael’s paper on cognition — https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti…
Gabriele Carcassi Video — • Newtonian/Lagrangian/Hamiltonian mechanics…
Michael Levin’s blog post on advice — https://thoughtforms.life/what-advice…
TOE ep with Levin, Tung and Gumuskaya — • New Groundbreaking Research, Anthrobots, H…
TOE ep with Levin — • Unveiling the Mind-Blowing Biotech of Rege…
TOE ep with Bach and Levin — • Michael Levin Λ Joscha Bach: Collective In…
TOE ep with Lang, Friston and Levin — • Levin Λ Friston Λ Fields: \.