Episode
#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
2:11:20
Published: Sat Sep 12 2020
Description
Manolis Kellis is a professor at MIT and head of the MIT Computational Biology Group. Please check out our sponsors to get a discount and to support this podcast: - Public Goods: https://publicgoods.com/lex and use code LEX - Magic Spoon: https://magicspoon.com/lex link & using code LEX at checkout - ExpressVPN: https://www.expressvpn.com/lexpod Lex Fridman Podcast survey mentioned in the intro: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5833660/Lex-Fridman-Podcast-Survey If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/podcast or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or support it on Patreon. Here's the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. OUTLINE: 00:00 - Introduction 06:20 - Epigenome 10:28 - Evolution 15:26 - Neanderthals 27:15 - Origin of life on Earth 43:44 - Life is a fight against physics 49:56 - Life as a set of transformations 51:35 - Time scales 1:00:31 - Transformations of ideas in human civilization 1:05:19 - Life is more than a rat race 1:13:18 - Life sucks sometimes and that's okay 1:30:16 - Getting older 1:36:21 - The best of MIT 1:49:01 - Poem 1: The Snow 2:01:52 - Love 2:06:16 - Poem 2: The Tide Waters
Chapters
In this podcast, the host uses his voice to convince listeners to buy a certain brand of expensive cereal to influence the stability of the US economy.
00:00 - 05:54 (05:54)
Summary
In this podcast, the host uses his voice to convince listeners to buy a certain brand of expensive cereal to influence the stability of the US economy. The episode ends with an ad for the cereal brand and a request for listeners to take a survey to improve the show.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The human epigenome modifies the primary DNA sequence to control the activity patterns of thousands of genes and compact the massive amount of DNA in the nuclei of a single human body.
05:54 - 13:26 (07:31)
Summary
The human epigenome modifies the primary DNA sequence to control the activity patterns of thousands of genes and compact the massive amount of DNA in the nuclei of a single human body.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast episode discusses the negative impact of tribalism on humanity's history of wiping out other species and its present ugly forms, as well as the unfortunate extinction of the more intelligent life forms in favor of the less dynamic ones.
13:26 - 23:19 (09:53)
Summary
This podcast episode discusses the negative impact of tribalism on humanity's history of wiping out other species and its present ugly forms, as well as the unfortunate extinction of the more intelligent life forms in favor of the less dynamic ones.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The assumption that life on other planets must necessarily have the same characteristics as life on Earth is overly simplistic, given that the requirements for life are not yet fully understood, and life may exist in various forms outside of our narrow understanding.
23:19 - 28:53 (05:33)
Summary
The assumption that life on other planets must necessarily have the same characteristics as life on Earth is overly simplistic, given that the requirements for life are not yet fully understood, and life may exist in various forms outside of our narrow understanding.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This transcript discusses the evolution of life on Earth, from the diversity of ancient organisms to the limited physical forms that exist today, as well as the role of water and energy in the formation of life.
28:53 - 33:45 (04:52)
Summary
This transcript discusses the evolution of life on Earth, from the diversity of ancient organisms to the limited physical forms that exist today, as well as the role of water and energy in the formation of life.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This episode discusses the role of RNA in relation to the definition of life, and how the functionalization, partitioning, and sub functionalization of proteins have led to the development of origami-like structures.
33:45 - 39:00 (05:15)
Summary
This episode discusses the role of RNA in relation to the definition of life, and how the functionalization, partitioning, and sub functionalization of proteins have led to the development of origami-like structures.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Discovering life beyond our planet is expected to blow our narrow-minded thinking of what life should be like.
39:00 - 43:42 (04:41)
Summary
Discovering life beyond our planet is expected to blow our narrow-minded thinking of what life should be like. The process of engineering machines to detect life is massive and it will lead to the detection of life that is unlikely to taste like Earth bacteria.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The human epigenome has the ability to find the genes that should be expressed in response to environmental stimuli within minutes, allowing for a multitude of responses in a short timescale.
43:42 - 53:23 (09:40)
Summary
The human epigenome has the ability to find the genes that should be expressed in response to environmental stimuli within minutes, allowing for a multitude of responses in a short timescale. This process shows clear signatures of selection for environments, biospheres, ecosystems and multi-organism life.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
As medicine continues to expand human lifespan, the intergenerational distance may be pushed from 40 years to 60 or even 100 years, affecting neoteny and the learning process of the next generation.
53:23 - 58:01 (04:38)
Summary
As medicine continues to expand human lifespan, the intergenerational distance may be pushed from 40 years to 60 or even 100 years, affecting neoteny and the learning process of the next generation.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The brain supersedes life, which is similar to the earlier transformation of evolving a brain, learning how to communicate language, or the evolution of eyesight.
58:01 - 1:05:42 (07:40)
Summary
The brain supersedes life, which is similar to the earlier transformation of evolving a brain, learning how to communicate language, or the evolution of eyesight.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker reflects on the meaning of life and the importance of overcoming challenges.
1:05:42 - 1:10:58 (05:16)
Summary
The speaker reflects on the meaning of life and the importance of overcoming challenges. While it may appear that life is a rat race, it's really about pushing oneself to fully engage and grow.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Odysseus Elites' poem Ulysses advises us to embrace the difficult and unfair parts of life rather than seeking a smooth and easy path.
1:10:58 - 1:21:11 (10:12)
Summary
Odysseus Elites' poem Ulysses advises us to embrace the difficult and unfair parts of life rather than seeking a smooth and easy path.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
In this podcast, the speaker shares anecdotes, such as a story about a man seeing Christ and his personal experience with his burned child, as well as life lessons, such as the concept of unknown evil versus known evil.
1:21:11 - 1:27:32 (06:21)
Summary
In this podcast, the speaker shares anecdotes, such as a story about a man seeing Christ and his personal experience with his burned child, as well as life lessons, such as the concept of unknown evil versus known evil.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Life is not just about the happy ending - it is about embracing the struggle as the journey, accepting oneself and the challenges along the way.
1:27:32 - 1:31:11 (03:39)
Summary
Life is not just about the happy ending - it is about embracing the struggle as the journey, accepting oneself and the challenges along the way. It is important as a society to encourage this mindset rather than a constant pursuit of happiness.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker discusses the importance of embracing life as a journey and appreciating both the past and future, as well as the continuity of human life.
1:31:11 - 1:35:29 (04:17)
Summary
The speaker discusses the importance of embracing life as a journey and appreciating both the past and future, as well as the continuity of human life. They reflect on their personal experience and their ability to guide and shape their students' thinking with new ideas and perspectives.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker reflects on the changes in their brain as they age and how they are adapting to their strengths through hiring and recruiting, and also emphasizes the positive impact of being kind and happy in their community of Boston.
1:35:29 - 1:43:39 (08:10)
Summary
The speaker reflects on the changes in their brain as they age and how they are adapting to their strengths through hiring and recruiting, and also emphasizes the positive impact of being kind and happy in their community of Boston.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker shares personal experiences with impostor syndrome in the workplace and how it can affect individuals' self-perception and confidence.
1:43:39 - 1:49:55 (06:15)
Summary
The speaker shares personal experiences with impostor syndrome in the workplace and how it can affect individuals' self-perception and confidence. She also discusses the definition of artificial general intelligence and the flawed perception of flawless work.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The podcast host talks to Alex Stark, a world-class scientist, about his enthusiasm for learning and the joy of curiosity in pursuing scientific endeavors.
1:49:55 - 1:58:04 (08:08)
Summary
The podcast host talks to Alex Stark, a world-class scientist, about his enthusiasm for learning and the joy of curiosity in pursuing scientific endeavors.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The symbol of snow in poetry can be interpreted in different ways.
1:58:04 - 2:01:52 (03:47)
Summary
The symbol of snow in poetry can be interpreted in different ways. In this podcast episode, the speaker examines the varying interpretations of snow in a specific poem.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker believes that passion for life is defined by love, which encompasses embracing one's emotional self and non-brainiac qualities.
2:01:52 - 2:07:48 (05:56)
Summary
The speaker believes that passion for life is defined by love, which encompasses embracing one's emotional self and non-brainiac qualities.
Episode#123 – Manolis Kellis: Origin of Life, Humans, Ideas, Suffering, and Happiness
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
A speaker reflects on the unique culture of Boston and the prestigious reputation of MIT, describing how the pride and mental force field surrounding these entities contribute to their success.
2:07:48 - 2:10:56 (03:07)
Summary
A speaker reflects on the unique culture of Boston and the prestigious reputation of MIT, describing how the pride and mental force field surrounding these entities contribute to their success.