69. Never underestimate a cell

Discovery Matters

We should not underestimate cells. Conor and Dodi talk with Dr Brett Kagan, who conducted research to understand the brain and test ‘sentient’ brain cells, using the 1970s game, known as ‘Pong’. In another conversation, Professor Petra Levin and Kunaal Joshi explain how they have demonstrated that there is no mythical ‘average’ cell which mimics the stochastic behaviors of any individual cell.

At the end of this episode, we hope to have proven that cells are not to be overlooked and still have so much to tell us about human health.

Show notes

• In vitro neurons learn and exhibit sentience when embodied in a simulated game-world
• Beyond the average: An updated framework for understanding the relationship between cell growth, DNA replication, and division in a bacterial system

Transcript

Keywords: cells, replication, pong, gamification, average, machine learning, brain cells, dna replication, intelligence, sleep, biology, biomass, bacteria, neurons.