More about how evolution works: multicellularity (Evolution)

by David Turell , Saturday, February 03, 2018, 19:52 (2483 days ago) @ dhw

QUOTE: "Multicellularity has evolved at least 25 times independently, but in all likelihood while certain general biological mechanisms -- like cells-sticking together or modified cell cycles -- may be shared, the actual genes driving these developments will mostly be unique to each lineage," he says. "Almost all the families that are found in other organisms can be found in a diverse array of unicellular organisms, suggesting that the genes that gave rise to multicellularity were derived from genes that were already present in the unicellular ancestor but may have been duplicated to form new genes that now have new functions.[/i]" (David's bold)

DAVID’s comment: Note my bold. What I am surprised about is that multcellularity is clear evidence of convergence in evolution and I view this as a strong indicator of a drive to complexity as part of the mechanism that drives evolution.

dhw: While I accept that evolution is often convergent, I would see this article as evidence of divergence as cells cooperate in forming different combinations in the quest for survival and/or improvement. And I doubt very much that they say to one another: “Let’s get more complex so that we can be more complex.”

As cell puppets talk in your play, it is my point that your dialogue is exactly on point. Complexity builds on complexity. Bacteria have never gone extinct, but multicellular forms always do. If survivability were an issue, multicellularity would never have occurred. And while the bacteria are talking, from their easy living standards, they wonder why we like being so complex. Small cell chauvinism on display. By the way , we have much agreement. Complexity goes hand in had with improvement, if designed that way.