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Developing humanoid robots, unravelling the complexities of AI, and the mysteries of consciousness.

Welcome to the ⁠⁠⁠North of Patient⁠⁠⁠ podcast — conversations on health[beyond]care — where we paint an inspired landscape of healthcare’s future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world.

For a summary of the episode, visit the ⁠blog post⁠ on North of Patient:
https://open.substack.com/pub/northofpatient/p/episode-13-dr…Share=true.

This week’s guest is the remarkable Dr. Suzanne Gildert. She’s a physicist, artist, and AI tech executive based in Vancouver on a mission to uncover the mysteries of consciousness and innovate unconscious AI.

In this episode, we dive into the groundbreaking advancements and pressing challenges in quantum computing, examining the transformative potential of these technologies to reshape our world. Beyond the science, we also explore the philosophical dimensions of AI consciousness, questioning whether AI can ever truly replicate human experience and identity.

Learn more about Nirvanic AI:

Continue reading “Episode 13: Dr. Suzanne Gildert — the frontier of AI consciousness” | >

Scientists from Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have developed a novel gene editing tool called STITCHR. Unlike traditional CRISPR, STITCHR inserts entire genes at precise locations, minimizing unintended mutations. This gene editing tool simplifies use and offers potential as a one-time treatment for genetic disorders.

The technology uses retrotransposons, naturally occurring “jumping genes” found in all eukaryotic organisms, which can move and integrate into genomes. Using computational screening, the researchers identified and reprogrammed a specific retrotransposon to work with the nickase enzyme from CRISPR, forming the complete STITCHR system that allows a precise, seamless gene insertion into the genome.

STITCHR offers the potential to replace or supplement entire genes, creating a more universal treatment option for various genetic diseases. The research team is now working to improve its efficiency and move it toward clinical use. Their study, published in Nature, highlights how insights from basic cellular biology can drive innovation in genetic medicine and lead to new therapeutic tools.

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Our brain’s ability to absorb fresh information — whether that means mastering a new task at work, memorizing the refrain of a song, or navigating unfamiliar streets — depends on a remarkable talent for neural self‑reinvention.

Every time we practice something novel, millions of tiny contacts between nerve cells subtly adjust their strength and neurons use multiple mechanisms to store knowledge.

Some connections, called synapses, amplify their signals to stamp in crucial details; others turn down the volume to clear away noise. Collectively these shifts are known as synaptic plasticity and for decades neuroscientists have cataloged dozens of molecular pathways that can nudge a synapse up or down.

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Whar may happen when the first truly smart robots appear, based on brain emulations or ems. Scan a human brain, then run a model with the same connections on a fast computer, and you have a robot brain, but recognizably human.

Train them to do some job and copy it a million times: an army of workers is at your disposal. When they can be made cheaply.
within perhaps a century, they will displace humans in most jobs.
In this new economic era, the world economy may double in size every few weeks.
Applying decades of expertise in physics, computer science, and economics.
and use ofstandard theories indicate a detailed picture of a world dominated by ems.

Associate Professor of Economics, and received his Ph.D in 1997 in social sciences from Caltech. Joined George Mason’s economics faculty in 1999 after completing a two year post-doc at U.C Berkely. His major fields of interest include health policy, regulation, and formal political theory. Recent book: The Age of Em: Work, Love and Life When Robots Rule The Earth. Oxford University Press, 2016.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

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While CRISPR-mediated gene editing has led to powerful advances across biology, medicine, and agriculture, challenges persist in optimizing the editing efficiency of enzymes, such as the widely used Cas9 nuclease. This is especially true in therapeutic use cases, where the goal is to attain high rates of editing via a relatively low and transient enzyme dose.

In a new study published in the April 2025 issue of The CRISPR Journal titled, “Hairpin Internal Nuclear Localization Signals in CRISPR-Cas9 Enhance Editing in Primary Human Lymphocytes,” researchers from the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, present a strategy to improve editing efficiency in human immune cells for therapeutic applications by leveraging new constructs for nuclear localization signal (NLS) sequences.

“Efficient CRISPR enzyme production is essential for translation. This is one element that allowed the rapid clinical evaluation of Casgevy, the world’s first genome editing drug. Unfortunately, this aspect tends to be overlooked in the basic research performed in academia,” said Ross Wilson, PhD, assistant adjunct professor of molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley, who led the new study.

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If the idea of robots taking on humans in a road race conjures dystopian images of android athletic supremacy, then fear not, for now at least.

More than 20 two-legged robots competed in the world’s first humanoid half-marathon in China on Saturday, and – though technologically impressive – they were far from outrunning their human masters over the long distance.

Teams from several companies and universities took part in the race, a showcase of China’s advances on humanoid technology as it plays catch-up with the US, which still boasts the more sophisticated models.

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An INRS research team has identified a new family of enzymes that can make precise cuts in single-stranded DNA. A few years ago, the introduction of CRISPR technology marked a significant breakthrough in the scientific community. Derived from a component of the bacterial immune system, CRISPR ena

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Innovation in maritime propulsion has reached a significant milestone with the development of a revolutionary technology inspired by one of the ocean’s most elegant creatures. Swiss engineering giant ABB has successfully tested its biomimetic propulsion system that replicates the graceful swimming motion of whales, potentially transforming how vessels navigate our seas.

Biomimetic innovation transforms maritime propulsion

The marine industry stands at the threshold of a major breakthrough with ABB’s latest innovation. The ABB Dynafin propulsion system draws inspiration from the efficient swimming techniques of cetaceans, creating a mechanism that could significantly reduce energy consumption across various vessel types. This technology comes at a crucial time as detailed ocean mapping reveals new underwater features that challenge traditional navigation methods.

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