Brain Organoids: from Space to AI with Alysson Muotri

Professor Alysson R. Muotri (geneticist and developmental biologist at UC San Diego) joins for a far out conversation about sending brain organoids to the International Space Station and what they're teaching us about aging, neurological disease, and a new kind of AI. One month in orbit ages an organoid the equivalent of 10 years on Earth, and Alysson's lab has already used that compressed timeline to unlock an FDA-approved clinical trial for a drug developed in space.In this episode, we discuss:Why space accelerates brain agingThe surprising role of "junk DNA" and endogenous retroviruses in neuroinflammation and neurodegenerationWhy HIV antiretroviral drugs may be the key to treating neurological conditions What the decommissioning of the ISS and the rise of commercial space stations mean for biomedical researchHow brain organoids learn, remember, and inspire a new generation of AI algorithms beyond transformersThe bioethics frontier: when do organoids become conscious and how would we even know?Credits:Created by Greg Kubin and Matias SerebrinskyHost: Matias and GregProduced by Nico V. Rey Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.venturesFollow us on Instagram and Twitter!Theme music by Dorian LoveAdditional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank