Scientific Controversies: Heart, Blood, and Soul
For over half a century, modern medicine has borrowed organs and blood donated from the dead and the generous—relying on a fragile, scarce supply chain of human anatomy. Yet, with over 100,000 people currently on the national transplant waiting list and an annual global deficit of 100 million units of blood, a profound shift is underway on the fringes of regenerative science—one that aims to manufacture the very components of life from scratch.
In this episode of Scientific Controversies, host and director of sciences Janna Levin brings together two visionaries rewriting human architecture from opposite ends of the biological scale. Dr. Doris Taylor constructs what she calls "ghost hearts"—pig hearts entirely stripped of their native cells, leaving behind a translucent protein scaffold engineered to beat anew with a patient's own stem cells. Meanwhile, Dr. Cédric Ghevaert works at the cellular level, attempting to solve a dire global shortage by manufacturing red blood cells and platelets inside laboratory bioreactors.
The clinical promises are monumental: an end to organ rejection and a limitless supply of universal blood for hospitals worldwide. Still, we remain in the early, messy days of a biological Moonshot. Can a bioengineered heart truly sustain a human being over a lifetime, or is it merely a wishful experiment? Can lab-grown blood cells ever be scaled past the micro-fractions of a petri dish to meet a global demand? As these anatomical parts become synthesizable, we will inevitably collide with the ancient paradox of the “Ship of Theseus”—the realization that once every component of a vessel has been replaced, the very identity of the original is fundamentally transformed. We are left to wonder: Will humans be human anymore?
Join us to consider if we’re curing the limits of the human condition, or quietly assembling something altogether new.
Come early to see the micro realm of the human body with local community biology lab Genspace, which will bring hands-on microscope stations and interactive displays to provide an unseen glimpse of what our blood and organs look like.
The evening will be set against the visceral backdrop of Jordan Eagles’s exhibition, Bases Loaded—which explores the symbolic, sacred, and political nature of blood.
Before and after the conversation, enjoy grooves and visuals by DJ Black Helmet and stargazing in the garden with the Amateur Astronomers Association (weather permitting). Food by Makina Cafe, alongside a special-edition patch designed by artist Andrea Lauer, will also be available for purchase at the event.
Please note that seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
About the speakers
Dr. Doris Taylor is a global leader in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, and is widely recognized for her breakthrough work in building personalized human organs. Now the CEO of Organamet Bio and formerly the Director of Regenerative Medicine Research at the Texas Heart Institute, Dr. Taylor famously pioneered the “ghost heart” technique: a process that strips an organ of its original cells to create a scaffold that can be re-seeded with a patient’s own stem cells. By creating bio-artificial hearts, she aims to solve the global heart failure crisis, eliminate transplant rejection, and uncover the unique cellular signatures of heart disease. Her groundbreaking research has been featured on 60 Minutes and CNN, and has been recognized by the American Heart Association as one of the "Top 10 Research Advances" in the field.
Dr. Cédric Ghevaert is the Chair of Transfusion Medicine at the University of Cambridge and a senior physician for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). As a leader at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, he is at the forefront of a biological revolution: manufacturing lab-grown blood to solve worldwide shortages. His work combines 3D bioengineered scaffolds and advanced bioreactors to turn stem cells into mature, functional blood cells. Dr. Ghevaert currently serves as the Chief Investigator for the RESTORE trial—a landmark, first-in-human study recently profiled in The New Yorker that compares the survival of manufactured red cells to traditional donor cells.
Janna Levin is a professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. A Guggenheim Fellow, she has contributed to our understanding of black holes, extra dimensions, and cosmology. She is the Founding Director of Sciences at Pioneer Works and the co-editor-in-chief of Pioneer Works Broadcast. She often contributes to news, documentaries, and radio, including as the presenter of the NOVA feature Black Hole Apocalypse on PBS and as a contributor to CBS, CNN, and NBC. She has authored books on black holes and the universe—Black Hole Blues, How the Universe Got its Spots, and Black Hole Survival Guide—as well as a PEN award–winning novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines. You can find her current writings on her Substack publication, Higher Dimensions.
About the participants
DJ Black Helmet (Azikiwe Mohammed) is a New York-based DJ and musician who specializes in long-form live mixes and generative ambient works. He has performed at venues such as Elsewhere, Bembe, Pioneer Works, Public Records, Roulette Intermedium, The High Line, MoMA, and MoMA PS1. He currently has a weekly radio show on WFMU’s “Give The Drummer” radio called “Your Boy Black Helmet Radio.” He is founder and director of the Black Painters Academy, the home for the New Davonhaime Food Bank—a food bank based in Manhattan’s Chinatown that focuses on health equity and community wellness.
Andrea Lauer is an artist and designer whose work spans costume and set design, styling, and innovation across the arts and sciences. With over 50 national and international production credits—including Broadway, music tours, and television—her designs have been featured in Vogue, Rolling Stone, and Interview. Lauer is the founder of RISEN DIVISION, a sustainable fashion label known for its signature jumpsuits. Her practice explores the intersection of storytelling, material culture, and embodied experience. She often incorporates technology, sustainability, and symbolic forms. She is an alumna resident of Pioneer Works, and she collaborates on the Scientific Controversies series to create collectible patches, bandanas, and artifacts that visually interpret complex scientific ideas with bold, poetic design.