Michael Levin & Ken Robinson | Bioelectricity in the era of the Genetic Code

Live Longer World

This is the third in my series with Dr. Michael Levin where we interview significant people in the history of developmental bioelectricity. Ken Robinson has a long list of accomplishments in the bioelectricity field, covering the role of electric fields in guiding cell migration and more generally the function of electrogenic epithelia in embryogenesis. This is about a ~1 hour conversation in which he talks about his background, the history of the field, and his time in Lionel Jaffe's lab. Episode Show Notes: https://livelongerworld.com/p/krobinson Find me: https://x.com/aasthajs Background on the bioelectricity series & 1st episode with Dr. Richard Nuccitelli: https://www.livelongerworld.com/p/rnuccitelli TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Intro

0:38 Ken’s background - From physics to bioelectricity

6:10 Bioelectricity in the era of the “genetic code”

10:27 Ken’s first experiments in ion movement using light

23:25 Proton pump and its significance

26:07 Neurons respond to electrical signals

36:26 Working in Lionel Jaffe’s lab

47:39 Mike Levin as an undergrad

48:49 Membrane potential left-right asymmetry in cells

52:59 Epithelia is powerfully electrogenic

57:49 Advances for bioelectricity

59:27 Underrated people in the field AASTHA, LIVE LONGER WORLD: Twitter: https://x.com/aasthajs Newsletter: https://livelongerworld.com/ Michael Levin: https://twitter.com/drmichaellevin Mike's bibliography of bioelectricity: https://thoughtforms.life/my-reference-lists-whole-endnote-library-and-bibliography-on-bioelectromagnetics/ Episode Show Notes: https://livelongerworld.com/p/krobinson Michael Levin on Bioelectric Signals for Longevity: https://youtu.be/XboYI_wxDr8?si=WrQ_iI8ABbG6eibm