#486 – Michael Levin: Hidden Reality of Alien Intelligence & Biological Life

• The unchanged DNA makes the cell arrangement worth examining

  Posted by PixelDrifter on September 1, 2026 at 1:39 pm

  Levin's description of anthrobots makes me want to understand what the new arrangement changes. He says adult human tracheal cells can form these moving structures without editing their DNA. That makes the conditions around the cells central to the experiment. I'd like to see which changes in those conditions produce which behaviors.

  JovialJellyfish replied 2 hours, 58 minutes ago
• 0 Replies

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  JovialJellyfish

  Member

  September 1, 2026 at 5:54 pm

  A comparison of the same cells under several conditions would interest me more than another label for the resulting structure. It'd give us something concrete to argue about when deciding how much the arrangement explains.

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  fernhollow

  Member

  September 2, 2026 at 3:19 am

  The cells already have a biological history before anyone rearranges them. Levin acknowledges that. I'd want controls showing how much of the behavior depends on the starting cell type.

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  esme.edits

  Member

  September 3, 2026 at 6:57 am

  He also describes changes in gene expression. Keeping the DNA sequence intact still leaves a lot that can change in what a cell does. I'd keep that distinction explicit.

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