Collective intelligence: A unifying concept for integrating biology across scales and substrates.

ABSTRACT: A defining feature of biology is the use of a multiscale architecture, ranging from molecular networks to cells, tissues, organs, whole bodies, and swarms. Crucially however, biology is not only nested structurally, but also functionally: each level is able to solve problems in distinct problem spaces, such as physiological, morphological, and behavioral state space. Percolating adaptive functionality from one level of competent subunits to a higher functional level of organization requires collective dynamics: multiple components must work together to achieve specific outcomes. Here we overview a number of biological examples at different scales which highlight the ability of cellular material to make decisions that implement cooperation toward specific homeodynamic endpoints, and impleme

SUBMITTER: McMillen P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10978875 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature