Description:

In a lab pulsing with code, artificial intelligence is crafting lifeforms never seen in nature. In this episode of "AI Freaky Facts," host Steve Atwal explores how AI is rewriting biology’s rules, creating synthetic organisms that could heal, feed, or clean our world. From Stanford’s AI-designed viruses to xenobots built from human cells, discover how digital code is shaping living cells and what it means for our future.

Topics Covered

AI Freaky Facts, Steve Atwal, synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, AI-designed lifeforms, xenobots, AnthroBots, Evo, OpenCrispr-1, AlphaFold, genetic engineering, synthetic organisms, antibiotic resistance, gene editing, Stanford, Profluent Bio, environmental solutions, bioethics, AI in medicine, future of biology

References:

1. Craig Venter creates synthetic life form | The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/may/20/craig-venter-synthetic-life-form

2. First bacterial genome created entirely with a computer | ETH Zurich - https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2019/03/bacterial-genome-created-with-computer.html

3. AlphaFold - Google DeepMind - https://deepmind.google/science/alphafold/

4. Welcome Evo, generative AI for the genome | Stanford University School of Engineering - https://engineering.stanford.edu/news/welcome-evo-generative-ai-genome

5. Stanford And Arc Institute Create First AI-Designed Viruses Capable Of Infecting Bacteria | Metaverse Post - https://mpost.io/stanford-and-arc-institute-create-first-ai-designed-viruses-capable-of-infecting-bacteria/

6. GitHub - Profluent-AI/OpenCRISPR: AI-generated gene editing systems - https://github.com/Profluent-AI/OpenCRISPR

7. Team Builds the First Living Robots | UVM News | The University of Vermont - https://www.uvm.edu/uvmnews/news/team-builds-first-living-robots

8. Scientists Build Tiny Biological Robots from Human Cells | Tufts Now - https://now.tufts.edu/2023/11/30/scientists-build-tiny-biological-robots-human-cells

9. An estimated 1.2 million people died in 2019 from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections | University of Oxford - https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-01-20-estimated-12-million-people-died-2019-antibiotic-resistant-bacterial-infections

10. Artificial intelligence challenges in the face of biological threats: emerging catastrophic risks for public health - PMC - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11116769/

Music Credits:

1. Egmont Overture, Op. 84 by Ludwig van Beethoven – performed by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra (Musopen). Public Domain recording via Wikimedia Commons.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beethoven_EgmontOvertureOp.84_LudwigVanBeethoven-EgmontOvertureOp.84.ogg

Also Public domain via https://archive.org/details/BeethovenEgmontOverture_971

2. "Ominous Intro" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

3. "End of the Era" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This podcast is narrated by the host's own voice, powered by AI.