Neuroscience Beyond Neurons in the Diverse Intelligence Era

What if neurons aren’t the foundation of mind? In this Mind-Body Solution Colloquia, Michael Levin and Robert Chis-Ciure challenge one of neuroscience’s deepest assumptions: that cognition and intelligence are exclusive to brains and neurons.

Drawing on cutting-edge work in bioelectricity, developmental biology, and philosophy of mind, this conversation explores how cells, tissues, and living systems exhibit goal-directed behavior, memory, and problem-solving, long before neurons ever appear.

We explore: • Cognition without neurons• Bioelectric networks as control systems• Memory and learning beyond synapses• Morphogenesis as collective intelligence• Implications for AI, consciousness, and ethicsThis episode pushes neuroscience beyond the neuron, toward a deeper understanding of mind, life, and intelligence as continuous across scales.