3 ms·

I've always been wondering how cells "know" where they're supposed to move.

by reelsareacrime 1y ago

relaxing 1y ago
Same ways cells know how to be anything - DNA.
- akomtu 1y ago
  Why is it the way it is? God knows. The only difference is today's biologists have replaced God with DNA - the almighty molecule that knows everything about humans.
- adtac 1y ago
  this is like saying "same way cells know how to be anything - quantum electrodynamics"
  - amelius 1y ago
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36GT2zI8lVA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36GT2zI8lVA
  - relaxing 1y ago
    It’s not like that, in that electrodynamics is not a unique property of cells. But it could still be a useful answer depending on the viewpoint of the person asking and what they were hoping to learn.
kevlened 1y ago
You'd be really interested in Michael Levin's work (et al) on morphology and bioelectricity [0]. Cells are problem solvers. His lab has shown functioning eyes on the backs of tadpoles, allowed frog leg regeneration where none existed, and performed several other modifications that change the communication between cells to trigger desired growth. Surprisingly, the interventions are point modifications, then the system handles the rest of the process. Cell-to-cell communication has a lot of explanatory power for a cell (or collection of cells) "knowing what/where to be". [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzFFeRVEdUM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzFFeRVEdUM
- alteringjanitor 1y ago
  Wow! Thank you for sharing!
jebarker 1y ago
I don't know the answer to the question in this case, but this quote from [1] has been stuck in my mind for a while and feels relevant: "I wish my high school biology teacher had asked the class how an embryo could possibly differentiate—and then paused to let us really think about it. The whole subject is in the answer to that question. A chemical gradient in the embryonic fluid is enough of a signal to slightly alter the gene expression program of some cells, not others; now the embryo knows “up” from “down”; cells at one end begin producing different proteins than cells at the other, and these, in turn, release more refined chemical signals; ...; soon, you have brain cells and foot cells." [1] https://jsomers.net/i-should-have-loved-biology/ https://jsomers.net/i-should-have-loved-biology/

I've always been wondering how cells "know" where they're supposed to move.

relaxing 1y ago

Same ways cells know how to be anything - DNA.

akomtu 1y ago
Why is it the way it is? God knows. The only difference is today's biologists have replaced God with DNA - the almighty molecule that knows everything about humans.
adtac 1y ago
this is like saying "same way cells know how to be anything - quantum electrodynamics"
- amelius 1y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36GT2zI8lVA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36GT2zI8lVA
- relaxing 1y ago
  It’s not like that, in that electrodynamics is not a unique property of cells. But it could still be a useful answer depending on the viewpoint of the person asking and what they were hoping to learn.

kevlened 1y ago

You'd be really interested in Michael Levin's work (et al) on morphology and bioelectricity [0]. Cells are problem solvers. His lab has shown functioning eyes on the backs of tadpoles, allowed frog leg regeneration where none existed, and performed several other modifications that change the communication between cells to trigger desired growth. Surprisingly, the interventions are point modifications, then the system handles the rest of the process. Cell-to-cell communication has a lot of explanatory power for a cell (or collection of cells) "knowing what/where to be". [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzFFeRVEdUM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzFFeRVEdUM

alteringjanitor 1y ago
Wow! Thank you for sharing!

jebarker 1y ago

I don't know the answer to the question in this case, but this quote from [1] has been stuck in my mind for a while and feels relevant: "I wish my high school biology teacher had asked the class how an embryo could possibly differentiate—and then paused to let us really think about it. The whole subject is in the answer to that question. A chemical gradient in the embryonic fluid is enough of a signal to slightly alter the gene expression program of some cells, not others; now the embryo knows “up” from “down”; cells at one end begin producing different proteins than cells at the other, and these, in turn, release more refined chemical signals; ...; soon, you have brain cells and foot cells." [1] https://jsomers.net/i-should-have-loved-biology/ https://jsomers.net/i-should-have-loved-biology/