Eric has spoken publicly many times about Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a Portal into biology. This otherwise unremarkable nematode is an especially significant organism because of the extensive research scientists have undertaken to understand its biology as completely as possible. This is in large part due to the interest and contributions of biologist and Nobel laureate Sydney Brenner, beginning in the 1960s.
C. elegans was the first multicellular organism to have its entire genome sequenced, and is so far the only organism whose entire neurological network is known. Eric repeatedly mentions C. elegans to raise public awareness of the under-appreciated biological resources available to us through the study of this organism.
The worm and model organism, C. elegans, deserves your attention, no matter who you are, or what you do for a living.
-Eric Weinstein in his essay, The Importance of Taste
Eric on Lex Fridman's Podcast mentioning C. elegans in the context of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)