Programmed cell death and the consciousness of cell populations

摘要

The paper offers an alternate view of cell populations, including cancer. Key discoveries unravel high social complexity of bacteria, securing the paradigm shift: bacteria are now considered multicellular beings. Other insights from bacterial and yeast programmed cell death (PCD) suggest an emerging, self-aware behavior of cell populations. The search for consciousness in lower organisms is an exciting, rapidly growing field, making bacterial and other cell populations' consciousness plausible. The documented acquisition of transplant donors' personality traits by the recipients via the cell population of the grafts further supports the idea. Cancer itself thus might appear as self-aware; other important cancer/mankind similarities of growth and colonizing behavior make it a rightful candidate for a multicellular taxonomic label.