1.8.24

Thought

Forty years experience as a bacterial geneticist have taught me that bacteria possess many cognitive, computational and evolutionary capabilities unimaginable in the first six decades of the twentieth century. Analysis of cellular processes such as metabolism, regulation of protein synthesis, and DNA repair established that bacteria continually monitor their external and internal environments and compute functional outputs based on information provided by their sensory apparatus…. My own work on transposable elements revealed multiple widespread bacterial systems for mobilizing and engineering DNA molecules. Examination of colony development and organization led me to appreciate how extensive multicellular collaboration is among the majority of bacterial species. [Studies] show that bacteria utilize sophisticated mechanisms for intercellular communication and even have the ability to commandeer the basic cell biology of “higher” plants and animals to meet their own basic needs. This remarkable series of observations requires us to revise basic ideas about biological information processing and recognize that even the smallest cells are sentient beings.

— Stephen Harrod Buhner. Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm.  

Quote

Author Paulo Coelho on life:

You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.

Moment of Gratitude

I’m grateful for a wonderful start to the new year.

What are you grateful for?

Happy Monday,

Val