Abstract
How does bacterial thermotaxis compare to a simple wall thermostat? Elements with similar function can be found in the two, including a temperature-sensing element, an output switch, and an external control. But they differ in their origins. A thermostat is designed and made by humans and embodies their understanding of seasonal fluctuations in temperature and how these affect room comfort. By contrast, the bacterial system is self-contained and assembles according to information in its genome acquired by evolution. This information is far richer than anything carried by a thermostat and closer to the ‘knowledge’ that higher animals have about the world.
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Acknowledgement
I would like to thank Matthew Levin, Ralph Linsker, Jim Shapiro, Kate Storey and Yuhai Tu for insightful comments.
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Bray, D. (2012). The Cell as a Thermostat: How Much does it Know?. In: Goryanin, I.I., Goryachev, A.B. (eds) Advances in Systems Biology. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 736. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7210-1_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7210-1_10
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