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How do cells decide what they are, and can we deliberately control that process? In this episode of Galaxy Balance, Cory Smith is joined by Frank Li, co-founder of Stately Bio, to explore the emerging frontier of cell identity engineering. Frank’s work sits at the intersection of developmental biology, synthetic biology, and therapeutic design, with a focus on understanding, and reprogramming, the molecular rules that govern cell fate. The conversation dives into how cell identity is established and maintained, why most cell therapies struggle with stability and reproducibility, and how a deeper understanding of developmental programs can enable more precise and durable engineered cell states. They discuss the vision behind Stately Bio, the challenge of translating complex biological control systems into scalable therapeutics, and what it means to move beyond “cell types” toward programmable cellular behaviors. Zooming out, the episode explores broader questions about control versus emergence in biology, how engineering mindsets are reshaping developmental biology, and what the next decade may bring for regenerative medicine and cell-based therapies. This is a conversation about building reliable biology, by learning how cells remember who they are. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro to Galaxy Balance and today's focus on cell engineering & AI innovation00:36 - Frank Lee's background in computer science and transition into biotech01:49 - The origins of Stately Bio and its mission to enable non-perturbative cell analysis02:10 - How machine learning revealed surprising signals in cellular imaging04:10 - Use cases for live-cell imaging in regenerative medicine and stem cell differentiation06:00 - The philosophical questions around cell state and biological identity07:05 - Fighting entropy and examining biological resilience through AI models08:22 - Integrating AI into manufacturing and regulatory frameworks09:40 - The future vision: AI empowering biological control and regenerative breakthroughs11:00 - The role of multi-omics and spatial transcriptomics in cell modeling12:45 - The expanding frontier of biological design and engineering14:52 - The societal impact of extending healthspan and aging research17:05 - Practicing longevity through diet and lifestyle choices18:55 - How scientific inspiration from science fiction shapes innovation20:13 - The origin story of Stately Bio's platform technology22:10 - Moving from fixed protocols to adaptive, AI-driven process control24:37 - The importance of non-destructive cell analysis for therapy development27:52 - Commercializing platform technologies while developing therapeutics31:29 - Regulatory considerations for AI and live-cell analysis in manufacturing36:51 - How improving cell maturity enhances therapeutic potential41:27 - Defining cell state through computational modeling and machine learning45:50 - Integrating multi-omics data with imaging for holistic cell understanding47:52 - Vision for the company's future and platform expansion51:59 - The intersection of AI, large language models, and scientific reasoning55:23 - The inspiring prospects of engineering life and the next technological frontier57:35 - Frank’s science fiction recommendations and its influence on his mindset58:42 - Advice for new scientists and engineers entering the field of biology1:00:29 - Closing remarks and gratitude

Is aging inevitable, or is it an engineering problem waiting to be solved? In this episode of Galaxy Balance, Cory Smith is joined by Aubrey de Grey, one of the most influential and provocative thinkers in longevity science. Aubrey is best known for reframing aging not as a mysterious, untouchable process, but as the accumulation of specific, repairable forms of biological damage, and for arguing that rejuvenation, not slowing decline, is the most practical path forward. The conversation explores aging as a systems engineering problem, the concept of longevity escape velocity, and why repairing damage may be fundamentally easier than preventing it. They discuss stem cell replacement, senescent cell clearance, epigenetic programming, DNA damage, cancer as the central bottleneck, and how emerging technologies, including AI, may accelerate progress towards meaningful rejuvenation therapies. Beyond the science, Aubrey shares his perspective on why society struggles to imagine a positive post-aging future, how dystopian narratives shape public resistance, and why the fight against aging is ultimately a humanitarian mission rather than a personal one. This episode is a deep dive into the biology, philosophy, and engineering mindset behind one of the most ambitious goals in science: extending healthy human life by repairing the damage of time itself. https://www.levf.org/ https://www.levf.org/donate

What will it really take for humans to live beyond Earth? In this episode of Galaxy Balance, Cory Smith sits down with Devon Stork, synthetic biologist and founding member of Pioneer Labs, a nonprofit research institute advancing biotechnology for use in space. Devon’s work focuses on engineering microbes that can survive extreme extraterrestrial environments and transform local resources, like Martian regolith, into usable materials such as soil, building substrates, and biological infrastructure. The conversation explores why microbes, not humans, are likely to be the first true settlers on Mars; how in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) reshapes the economics and feasibility of space habitation; and why biology’s unique strengths, self-replication, adaptability, and subtle chemistry, make it essential for a multi-planetary future. We also dive into: Designing microbial “chassis” that require minimal infrastructureConverting Martian regolith into fertile, perchlorate-free soilOpen science and rapid communication as a catalyst for frontier researchThe ethics of terraforming and preserving extraterrestrial environmentsHow science fiction, evolution, and long-term thinking inform real scientific strategyThe role of AI and large-scale data in accelerating biological discoveryThis episode blends hard science with speculative foresight, offering a grounded look at how life itself may become the foundation for humanity’s expansion beyond Earth.

In this episode of Galaxy Balance, Cory Smith sits down with Dr. Case Newsom, an emergency physician and pioneer in psychedelic medicine who helped shape Colorado’s therapeutic psychedelics legislation. The conversation explores why a single psychedelic experience can lead to lasting change, the neuroscience behind these effects, and the real risks that are often left out of public discussions. Case shares lessons from his work with the Zendo Project, providing peer support at festivals and events, and explains the principle of “sitting, not guiding” to create safe containers for difficult experiences without imposing interpretation. They dive into the tension between medicalization and legalization, why the FDA rejected MDMA-assisted therapy despite promising data, and how harm, trauma, and abuse can emerge in unregulated spaces. The discussion also examines why bringing psychedelics into regulated, transparent systems may be safer than keeping them underground. The episode goes further, connecting psychedelics to broader questions about consciousness, community, and the future of intelligence, including a speculative look at what a “psychedelic experience” might mean for artificial general intelligence. Along the way, they discuss emergency medicine, harm reduction, drug policy, and emerging data on psilocybin and longevity. This conversation is essential listening for clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and anyone curious about consciousness, mental health, and how society navigates powerful transformative technologies.

Aging is often described as damage, wear and tear, or inevitable decline. But what if aging is better understood as a problem of lost biological information? In this episode of Galaxy Balance, Cory Smith speaks with Chris Bradley, a scientist focused on genome integrity and systems biology, about why maintaining genetic and epigenetic information may be central to extending human healthspan. The conversation explores how cells preserve. or fail to preserve, information over time, why DNA repair and genome stability may be underappreciated levers in aging, and what this framing implies for future interventions. We discuss how this information-theoretic view of biology reshapes how we think about longevity, why many aging strategies fail to scale, and what it would take to meaningfully slow or reverse age-related decline. Along the way, we examine the limits of current approaches, the tradeoffs between repair and replacement, and how first-principles thinking can clarify which longevity ideas are likely to matter long-term. This episode is a deep dive into aging as a systems problem, and what it would mean to preserve life’s information rather than simply treat its symptoms. Topics include: Aging as information loss vs. damage accumulationGenome integrity and DNA repairEpigenetics and biological memorySystems biology and scaling longevity interventionsConstraints on extending human healthspan

In this debut episode of Galaxy Balance, host Cory Smith sits down with legendary geneticist and futurist George Church for a wide-ranging conversation on the edge of science and imagination. Together they explore the accelerating frontier of AI-driven biology, including protein design, scientific “superintelligence,” and the rise of automated science factories. George discusses the real state of de-extinction, from woolly mammoths to dire wolves, and the technologies Colossal Biosciences is building to save endangered species. The conversation also dives into the future of human reproduction, IVF breakthroughs, synthetic gametes, and the ethical landscape around editing human embryos. From mirror-life and biosafety to von Neumann probes, astrobiology, and the search for extraterrestrial life, this episode spans genomics, planetary science, and the future of intelligent civilizations. George also shares thoughts on AI risks, surveillance for biosecurity, his inspiration from science fiction, and what young scientists should focus on now. A deep, fast-moving, idea-packed episode with one of the most visionary minds in science.