Episode Summary: Dr. Nirosha Murugan discusses the role of biophysics in biology, focusing on how light, particularly biophotons emitted by cells, influences processes like wound healing, neural activity, and cancer detection; how microtubules may act as biological fiber optics, the impact of modern light environments on health; her work inducing limb regeneration in frogs using silk hydrogels and growth factors; cancer as an energetic dysfunction; the potential of non-invasive photonic diagnostics; the need for new tools to study these phenomena.
About the guest: Nirosha Murugan, PhD is a biophysicist and assistant professor at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, focusing on how optical, magnetic, and electric signals influence biological processes. Her lab investigates bioelectricity, biophotonics, and regeneration, aiming to leverage these signals for disease detection and tissue engineering.
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Key Conversation Points:
Cells emit biophotons, ultra-weak light tied to metabolism, which may carry information for processes like immune response and neural communication.
Microtubules might function as biological fiber optics, potentially guiding light within cells for signaling purposes.
Red and near-infrared light can accelerate wound healing and reduce inflammation, likely by modulating mitochondrial activity.
Cancer cells emit distinct photonic signatures, which could enable non-invasive diagnostics by detecting light differences from healthy tissues.
Modern light environments, unlike natural sunlight, may subtly affect health by altering biological responses to electromagnetic signals.
Regeneration in adult frogs was induced using silk hydrogels and growth factors, hinting at ways to reawaken human regenerative potential.
Biological systems act as metamaterials, patterning energy flow in ways that constrain and shape molecular and behavioral outcomes.
Related episode:
M&M 221: Regenerative Energy & the Light Inside You | Jack Kruse
*Not medical advice.
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Episode transcript below.
Episode Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:37 Nirosha Murugan Intro
00:04:11 Light Beyond Vision
00:09:07 Biophotons Explained
00:15:15 Water's Biophysical Role
00:20:21 Microtubules as Fiber Optics
00:28:13 Microtubule Functionality
00:34:35 Biophoton Detection Tools
00:41:22 Optogenetics Insights
00:48:17 Brain Photon Detection
00:54:48 Physics of Life
01:01:12 Energy in Biology
01:07:45 Electromagnetic Concerns
01:13:45 Regeneration Research
01:19:49 Wound Healing & Light
01:25:30 Cancer Photonics
01:32:27 Future of Biophysics
Full AI-generated transcript below. Beware of typos & mistranslations!
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