Automatic cell activity (Introduction)

by dhw, Tuesday, April 23, 2013, 12:20 (4233 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: An example, one molecule in control:
http://phys.org/news/2013-04-cell-molecule-on-off.html
Another example: choice through feedback loops.
http://phys.org/news/2013-04-code-bacteria.html
And it even fits Darwin as this response is reaction to environmental stress, and present in an ancient form of life, probably present from the beginning of life.-Thank you for these enlightening articles. I did not find the word "automatic" in either of them. On the contrary, as the following quotes vividly illustrate, the researchers emphasize the degree of independent intelligence involved:-1) Individual freedom and social responsibility may sound like humanistic concepts, but an investigation of the genetic circuitry of bacteria suggests that even the simplest creatures can make difficult choices that strike a balance between selflessness and selfishness.
 
2) "Our findings suggest new principles for collective decisions that allow both random behavior by individuals and nonrandom outcomes for the population as a whole," said study co-author Eshel Ben-Jacob, a senior investigator at CTBP and adjunct professor of biochemistry and cell biology at Rice.
 
3) Years of studies have determined that each individual constantly senses its environment and continuously sends out chemical signals to communicate with its neighbors about the choices it is making. Experimental studies have revealed dozens of regulatory genes, signaling proteins and other genetic tools that cells use to gather information and communicate with one another.-4) Individual bacteria weigh their decisions carefully, taking into account the stress they are facing, the situation of their peers, the statistics of how many cells are sporulating and how many are choosing competence, Onuchic said. Each bacterium in the colony communicates via chemical "tweets" and performs a sophisticated decision-making process using a specialized complex gene network comprised of many genes connected via complex circuitry.-It would seem, then, that like humans bacteria use their materials, instead of their materials using them. They take individual decisions, communicate and cooperate. At the very least this should make you pause before you go on insisting that the cell IS an automaton, and it provides ample reason for you once more to heed McClintock's call for more research into how much knowledge cells have of themselves. Come out of your box, David!