Do we actually have free will, or is it just a neurobiological illusion? In this fascinating episode, neuroscientist and bioengineer Dr. Nic Rouleau explains why our feeling of making choices might just be a hardwired neurological superstition.We dive deep into the world of cybernetics, exploring why living biological computers are currently vastly more efficient at learning than modern artificial intelligence. Dr. Rouleau, who runs the Self-Organizing Units Lab (SOUL) at Laurier University, shares his groundbreaking work on growing human neurons in a dish and what it tells us about cognition. We also explore the concept of "mind blindness," the profound intelligence of plants, panpsychism, and the mind-bending future of "consciousness engineering", including whether we will ever be able to successfully transfer human consciousness to a machine.

Papers mentioned:1. Free Will• A Neuropsychological Basis for the Experience of Free Will Under Causal Determinism Authors: Kansala, Cicek, Rouleau et al. Preprint: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/fk3yt_v12. Cybernetics & Tissue Engineering• A Cybernetic Framework for Synthetic Biological Intelligence in the Era of Neural Tissue Engineering Authors: Étienne P. Sellar, Nicolas Rouleau Preprint: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/md2wf_v1• Learning and Synaptic Plasticity in 3D Bioengineered Neural Tissues Authors: Nicolas Rouleau, Dana M. Cairns, William Rusk, Michael Levin, David L. Kaplan Published: Neuroscience Letters (2021) Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304394021001774• Functional Bioengineered Models of the Central Nervous System Authors: Nicolas Rouleau, Nirosha J. Murugan, David L. Kaplan Published: Nature Reviews Bioengineering (2023) Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44222-023-00027-7• Toward Studying Cognition in a Dish Authors: Nicolas Rouleau, Nirosha J. Murugan, David L. Kaplan Published: Trends in Cognitive Sciences (2021) Link: https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/abstract/S1364-6613(21)00007-33. Mind Blindness• Brains and Where Else? Mapping Theories of Consciousness to Unconventional Embodiments Authors: Nicolas Rouleau, Michael Levin Preprint (in press with Philosophical Transactions): https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/va5mk_v1• The Multiple Realizability of Sentience in Living Systems and Beyond Authors: Nicolas Rouleau, Michael Levin Published: eNeuro (2023) Link: https://www.eneuro.org/content/10/11/ENEURO.0375-23.2023.abstract• Discussions of Machine Versus Living Intelligence Need More Clarity Authors: Nicolas Rouleau, Michael Levin Published: Nature Machine Intelligence (2024) Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-024-00955-yRouleau Lab: https://rouleaulab.com X/Twitter: @DrNRouleau Wilfrid Laurier University profile: https://www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-of-science/faculty-profiles/nicolas-rouleau/index.htmlIn Vivo on X - https://x.com/InVivoPodOnXIn Vivo on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@InVivoPodcastIn Vivo on Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-vivo/id1775578563In Vivo on Amazon Podcasts - https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/1ac4dbec-df46-4d1f-b0a1-742e9656ef44/in-vivo

Episode ID: 1000758455971

GUID: 80cdb04c-d72b-4b3b-b217-2ed2549dcd4a

Release Date: 31/03/2026, 21:30:00