Recent research from the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona and Harvard Medical School reveals that even the simplest life forms possess the ability to learn. This groundbreaking study, published in Current Biology, challenges long-held biological concepts.
The focus of the research is on a type of learning known as habituation, where organisms become accustomed to stimuli over time. While habituation has been observed in various animals, its presence in single-celled organisms had not been thoroughly investigated until now.
Previous studies from the 1970s and 1980s hinted at habituation in ciliates, unicellular organisms with over 3,500 described species. The current research aims to confirm these suspicions regarding their learning capabilities. Co-author Rosa Martínez stated, “These creatures are very different from animals with brains. Learning means using their internal molecular networks, which function similarly to neural networks in the brain. No one knows how they achieve this, so we thought it was a matter worth exploring.”
Instead of traditional laboratory methods, the researchers employed computer simulations to decode cellular communication. This approach revealed how interactions within cells change when exposed to repeated stimuli.
While avoiding complex details, it is noteworthy that the simulations showed cells utilize a combination of molecular circuits to respond to various stimuli. Interestingly, the response time can vary depending on the stimulus, suggesting a form of cellular memory.
This discovery raises important questions about the implications for understanding life on Earth. Recognizing the learning ability of cells could be crucial for scientific, biological, and medical research, potentially explaining phenomena such as cancer cells’ resistance to chemotherapy and bacterial immunity to antibiotics.
The next challenge lies in translating these models and simulations into laboratory experiments. Dr. Rosa Martínez emphasized the importance of this future work.