In conversation with Michael Edward Johnson

We sat down with Michael Edward Johnson, a researcher exploring how blood flow — not just neurons — might be fundamental to how the brain computes. We talk about why vasculature may carry information, the limitations of the neuron-centric view in neuroscience, and how an emerging field — vasocomputation — could help us reframe the core assumptions of brain science.

Mike is a grantee of the Analogue Expeditions program, which supports researchers working at the edges of disciplines, in spaces too early, weird, or underdefined for traditional academic funding. His work is part of a growing effort to investigate biological systems that don’t yet have institutional labels, but could shape how we understand intelligence, perception, and computation over the next century.

We explore how he constructs questions that don’t yet have clear names, the challenges of doing foundational work outside well-mapped domains, and what it means to build scientific legitimacy from the edges inward.

You can listen to the episode on YouTube and Spotify.