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Loss of cell identity drives human aging: Two new papers

369 points · 184 comments · bookofjoe

  1. lifty · · focus · HN ↗
    Ever since I discovered Michael Levin and his work, I started seeing biological systems as information systems. And these papers seem to point in the same direction.
    1. canadiantim · · focus · HN ↗
      What has Michael Levin to say about biological systems as information?
      1. lifty · · focus · HN ↗
        That there is another layer on top of the biological/genetic system which allows cells to organise themselves and pursue goals, taking advantage of bio-electricity (gap junctions in cells) in order to communicate. He uses the hardware vs software analogy which I think fits well. The theory sounds a bit wacky initially but all of it has been corroborated in empirical testing in his lab.

        I am not a biologist but it seems to me, based on the podcasts that I hear, that his theories are becoming more accepted and there are also more and more people from outside the biology field looking into his theories of "diverse intelligence"; he has a podcast where he discusses related things with scientists from various fields.

        1. canadiantim · · focus · HN ↗
          Yeah this theory has been part of biology for a long time in different forms, I also subscribe to it. You may like to look into Rupert Sheldrake’s morphogenetic fields which is a recent depiction of it too that is very interesting
    2. RangerScience · · focus · HN ↗
      IMO, whatever the new / dominant engineering paradigm is, is what we use to understand everything else.

      Architecture, then clockwork, then steam, then machines, now computing.

      I don’t think it’s wrong in anyway to do this, but I do think it’s interesting!

      1. delecti · · focus · HN ↗
        Yeah. I think linguistic relativism is oversimplifying, or possibly reversed, but it sure does feel truthy in certain lights.
    3. AndrewKemendo · · focus · HN ↗
      In case you want to see more, Levin was the first speaker on day to two of the AGI 26 conference in SF in July:

      <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;live&#x2F;kQBwtgkHnC4?si=X_QnJULdoPX5jOxY" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;live&#x2F;kQBwtgkHnC4?si=X_QnJULdoPX5jOxY

      Hananel from that lab gave a talk about this at the Boston AGI society meetup (bad sound but captions work:

      <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;m.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=3TP1scXfMDg" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;m.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=3TP1scXfMDg

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