Did you know that the single-cell bacteria are able to communicate with each other, and that they have the ability to detect the presence, and numbers, of other bacteria around them through a process called “quorum sensing”? Individually, they cannot do much, but when they sense enough of their numbers around them they can behave in a collective manner. The result can be either good or bad for human beings when this collective behavior happens within their bodies. There is strength in numbers! Also, there are more bacteria in the human body than human cells. It also appears that the behavior of bacteria when it comes to organization is very similar to that in human beings. Of course, bacteria existed billions of years before human beings did! You could call the behavior of bacteria intelligence. I blogged about this kind of collective behavior in ants a while back.
Tag: Biology
A Scientist Who Delights in the Mundane | Quanta Magazine
Delightful! There are all kinds of connections everywhere, but it takes an inquisitive and extraordinary mind to really try to grasp them.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/l-mahadevan-finds-math-inspiration-in-the-mundane-20201026/