MEETUP · SAN FRANCISCO
Edge of Consciousness: Emergence
Emergence is the word everyone reaches for when a system starts doing things nobody programmed. In AI, it's a talking point. In Dr. Aaron Engelhart's lab, it's a benchtop problem. Dr.
- When
- Thu, Sep 17
5:00 PM to 7:30 PM PT - Where
- Downtown Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
- Host
- Berkeley Gateway Accelerator
- Entry
- Free to attend
About this event
Emergence is the word everyone reaches for when a system starts doing things nobody programmed. In AI, it's a talking point. In Dr. Aaron Engelhart's lab, it's a benchtop problem.
Dr. Aaron Engelhart's lab at the University of Minnesota and the related SpudCell project both probe how life might emerge, from opposite directions: building it up versus rewiring its molecular parts. SpudCell, the first synthetic cell with a complete cell cycle, shows that a full cell cycle, growth, replication, and even evolution can emerge from purified components alone, using fewer genes than previously thought minimal for life. Dr. Engelhart's lab complements this by engineering RNA and DNA to do more than store information. His group uses experimental and ML/AI tools to evolve and engineer cofactor-binding nucleic acids that catalyze reactions and fluorescent RNAs for imaging and pathogen detection.
Together, this work clarifies the molecular conditions from which life-like behavior can emerge, models how early biochemistry may have started, and builds tools for future biosensing and biomanufacturing where emergent properties of engineered nucleic acids can be put to practical use.
Come early for open office hours with law firm, Cooley LLP, details below.
- Date/Time: September 17, 2026 / 5:00 - 7:30 PM
- 📍Location: BGA HQ Agenda
- 5:00 - 6:10 pm Office hours w/ Chris Holly (Patent partn...
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