• Question: what level of intelligence does a cell have

    Asked by xxbluewafflexx to Anouk, Chris, Judith, Leisha, Seyyed on 19 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Chris Kettle

      Chris Kettle answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      That would depend on how you measure intelligence.

      A cell can effectively communicate within itself and with its neighbours as well as within a larger structure or being. Plus, surely our own intelligence is only governed by the “intelligence” of our brain cells.

      Complex question that and depends on what levels you are thinking about

    • Photo: Judith Sleeman

      Judith Sleeman answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      Depends on the type of cell. There is a really cool type of single-celled organism called a slime mould (dictyostelium) that can respond to a lack of food by forming a huge slug, then a ‘fruiting body’ that produces spores to go off to pastures new to find more food. That’s got to be intelligence of a kind!

      But, if you mean ‘awareness’, I think only a whole multi-cellular organism with a brain really has that. A very philosophical question!

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