Bacterial Intelligence? sensing surfaces (General)

by David Turell , Saturday, October 28, 2017, 15:41 (2371 days ago) @ dhw

QUOTE: "This is an impressive example of how rapidly and specifically bacteria can change their behavior when they encounter surfaces," says Jenal."

DAVID's comment: the disturbed flagellum can easily be seen as an automatic signal to produce adhesin, following intelligent instructions in the DNA.

dhw: And the whole process can easily be understood as a demonstration of how bacteria use their autonomous intelligence to adapt chemical processes to the requirements of new situations.

And the study author's abstract says: "Here, we describe a tactile sensing cascade in Caulobacter crescentus in which the flagellar motor acts as sensor."

Simply a cascade [in biochemistry speak]is a series of molecular reactions. It is automatic, not thoughtful.