"What the physiological software of life means for patient-specific interventions" by Michael Levin episode artwork

EPISODE · Oct 14, 2025 · 5 MIN

"What the physiological software of life means for patient-specific interventions" by Michael Levin

from Thoughtforms Life · host Michael Levin

This is a very brief (~5 minute) explanation I made at a conference on next generation biomedicine about the topic of physiological learning and reprogrammability. I was commenting on the fact that differences in patient responses to interventions are not only due to genetics and epigenetics, but also to the memories made by cells and tissues of past experiences (which will differ greatly across patients). Any molecular pathway shown in textbooks and papers won't function the same way in each individual because many of them can store dynamical system memories of past history and act differently in the future. The comment has no visuals to it, so I simply added some movies of our 2-headed planarian flatworms (originally recorded by Junji Morokuma in my lab) and then some nice ocean videos I shot at sunrise. The worms are a nice example: their bioelectric state was reprogrammed by a brief intervention (physiological experience) and now they forever make 2-headed regenerative (asexual) progeny despite having totally normal genetics. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Patient-Specific Cellular Memories (02:16) Cellular Goal-Directed Growth PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5 Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin Blog: https://thoughtforms.life The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org

This is a very brief (~5 minute) explanation I made at a conference on next generation biomedicine about the topic of physiological learning and reprogrammability. I was commenting on the fact that differences in patient responses to interventions are not only due to genetics and epigenetics, but also to the memories made by cells and tissues of past experiences (which will differ greatly across patients). Any molecular pathway shown in textbooks and papers won't function the same way in each individual because many of them can store dynamical system memories of past history and act differently in the future. The comment has no visuals to it, so I simply added some movies of our 2-headed planarian flatworms (originally recorded by Junji Morokuma in my lab) and then some nice ocean videos I shot at sunrise. The worms are a nice example: their bioelectric state was reprogrammed by a brief intervention (physiological experience) and now they forever make 2-headed regenerative (asexual) progeny despite having totally normal genetics. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Patient-Specific Cellular Memories (02:16) Cellular Goal-Directed Growth PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Podcast Website: https://thoughtforms-life.aipodcast.ing YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pVafx6EZqXVI2V_Efu2uw Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughtforms-life/id1805908099 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JCmtoeH53neYyZeOZ6ym5 Twitter: https://x.com/drmichaellevin Blog: https://thoughtforms.life The Levin Lab: https://drmichaellevin.org

NOW PLAYING

"What the physiological software of life means for patient-specific interventions" by Michael Levin

0:00 5:14

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Thoughtforms Life?

This episode is 5 minutes long.

When was this Thoughtforms Life episode published?

This episode was published on October 14, 2025.

What is this episode about?

This is a very brief (~5 minute) explanation I made at a conference on next generation biomedicine about the topic of physiological learning and reprogrammability. I was commenting on the fact that differences in patient responses to interventions...

Can I download this Thoughtforms Life episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!