Biological complexity: bacteria use electrical signals (Introduction)

by dhw, Thursday, March 10, 2016, 17:18 (3180 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Researchers have picked up electrical signals in colonies of bacteria using ion channels, a process thought only to occur in multicellular organisms:
-http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bacteria-can-convey-electrical-messages-the-s...-QUOTE: "Electrical signaling of this type is also how neurons in our brain pass along information. This and other findings are therefore prompting scientists to reevaluate their assumptions about single-celled life. “Bacteria have been thought of as limited because they are not multicellular,” says Steve Lockless, a biologist at Texas A&M University who was not involved in the study. But as unicellular organisms increasingly offer evidence of multifaceted behaviors, that may not be the case for much longer."-David's comment: Bacteria are highly complex, which means the original cells were probably not very simple. Design anyone?-Dhw's comment: Bacteria are highly complex, which means the original cells were probably not very simple. Intelligent cell anyone?