A new study by Prof. Eshel Ben-Yaakov from Tel Aviv University reveals a surprising cooperation at the microscopic level: swarms of bacteria with 'social intelligence' rescue mushrooms from dangerous places for them, and in return the mushrooms serve as a bridge over chasms that the bacteria are unable to cross on their own
Life in the wild is not easy, the competition for resources is great, and different creatures, together and separately, employ many and varied survival strategies. Recently, researchers at Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with Vahnegen University in the Netherlands, discovered a surprising cooperation between two types of microorganisms: bacterial swarms of the Paenibacillus vortex type and non-motile fungi of the Aspergillus fumigates type, which help each other to migrate and stay away from danger areas. The article appeared this week in the journal PNAS (Proceeding of the National Academy of Science).
In the laboratory, through the electron microscope, a swarming activity was revealed to the scientists' eyes: the bacteria, which were recently recognized as a species with a particularly sophisticated social behavior, attached themselves to the fungi that were many times larger than them, and carried them for great distances - tens of centimeters, which equates to dozens of kilometers on a human scale , and at an enormous speed - similar to that of a jet plane on our scale. In this way, the bacteria helped the fungi, which are unable to move on their own, to move away from places where the researchers dripped a substance toxic to the fungi. Prof. Ben-Yaakov describes this in a particularly picturesque way: "The bacteria acted just like the dwarfs who tied the giant Gulliver in a net of ropes, to move him from one place to another."
But the smart bacteria, so the researchers surmised, do not work for free... To find out how the fungi help the bacteria in exchange for the "transportation services", the researchers cut the growth medium in the saucer where the organisms were, creating chasms that the bacteria are unable to cross on their own. Indeed, as it soon became clear, the fungi create a "bridge over an abyss" for the bacteria, which allows them to cross the obstacle and continue on their way. It can be assumed that even in their natural environment the two organisms help each other in a similar way.
"We uncovered 'mutual aid' mechanisms through which bacteria and fungi can spread effectively, and invade new territories," Prof. Ben-Yaakov concludes. "It can be assumed that similar mechanisms serve these organisms in diverse environments, such as in the soil, near plant roots, inside the human body and in hospitals. Therefore, our findings may be highly relevant to the fields of agriculture and medicine as well.
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A very partial answer
https://www.hayadan.org.il/joint-help-between-bacteria-and-fungi-2911116/#comment-319973
You asked a rather complex question that combines several fields, each of which in itself is a complete world of research. I don't know of any specific research that tries to recruit an internal parasite for the benefit of healing or anything similar, let alone engineer it. Not because it is impossible, in fact there is already quite a bit of knowledge about Hindu organisms, from viruses and bacteria to complex organisms such as members of the mammalian class, but most research resources are directed to finding relatively simple substances that will do what you suggest. Regarding the production of substances that are missing in the body of the organism and there is another organism that lives inside it and provides the same essential substances, there are many examples in nature, but as mentioned, I do not know such an example with parasites in humans and it seems to me that this is what particularly interested you. I don't see a fundamental reason why it wouldn't be possible to create what you propose, but it's certainly not a simple thing because multidisciplinary knowledge needs to be integrated here in several systems and there's really no reason to turn in this direction when there are directions that on the surface seem relatively simpler in which natural materials are used or artificial.
Mutual aid does not necessarily mean awareness, recognition or intelligence as these words are used to describe the behaviors of animals with a developed brain (the organ). All that has been shown here is that there is a situation where under certain conditions the bacteria help the fungus and in other situations the fungus helps the bacteria. The aid is apparently passive in the sense that none of these organisms understand what they are doing nor intend to do so and certainly do not condition the same aid on the return of counter aid. To show such a thing, it is necessary to show that in the same situation the bacteria (or the fungus) can choose to help or not help the other organism. If, because of the conditions, the "assistance" is simply a by-product of the behavior, it is no more "intelligent" than water or wind transporting plant seeds and thereby helping their spread. The immediate interest here is that there is a two-way aid effect, which as mentioned can be passively derived from the behavioral traits of the organisms involved. One should be careful and not jump to far-reaching conclusions (certainly not in the context of intentional and conscious social behavior or intelligent thinking) without strong evidence to support such a claim.
my daughter,
https://www.hayadan.org.il/joint-help-between-bacteria-and-fungi-2911116/#comment-316591
Simple "wisdom" is indeed a valuable mechanism (and not only in biology) but it is not correct to say that this indicates intelligence in the sense in which we use this word to describe the behavior of complex organisms. Of course, if we expand the word enough then we can claim that inanimate complex systems also have intelligence and I don't think it's useful to do so, but even if such a use is made then a legitimate (and not trivial) question would be how much "intelligence" different organisms have and I dare to guess that those bacteria, With all due respect to them (and there is a lot of respect) they will not be among the organisms that display the high degree of intelligence even without determining what the exact criterion is likely to be used.
Is it possible to engineer a parasite that lives in the intestines or blood vessels so that it breaks down cholesterol deposits or kills cancerous tumors or helps restore damaged tissues? Or even produce substances that are missing in the body such as amino acids that the body cannot produce or vitamins or medicines? Are there any studies on this?
Elijah:
Don't try to twist Gali's words to help you in your war against science.
Most of the things described in the article are not "claims" but facts.
Gali does not deny the findings. She is only asking for an explanation on a mechanical level and she is not alone in this request.
Everyone wants such an explanation.
But before looking for the mechanistic explanation - you have to find what the things are that need to be explained and that was done in the current study.
Agree with Gali.
What is the biological explanation behind the activity?
How did such a mechanism evolve?
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary facts.
A. Ben Ner,
You can read about Prof. Ben Yaakov's areas of interest here:
http://star.tau.ac.il/~eshel/Research_Interests.html
For many years he has been working on the seam between biology and physics.
In this research, I lack a background in mathematical biology, biomathematics, biomedicine, biochemistry, etc... to study the dynamics of bacteria. This is what I understand...
my daughter,
You claimed that there are researchers who think they understand everything that happens in the universe. Do you know such researchers? Can you point to one? Do you know someone who "refuses" to believe that small animals do not have intelligence (as you say)?
It is clear that those who carried out the work described in the article are not like that, and it does not seem to me that Gali is like that, so who are your words addressed to?
Aren't these just passwords?
As far as is known, Prof. Eshel Ben Yaakov is a professor of physics in the Faculty of Exact Sciences
at Tel Aviv University. Department of Solid State Research.
How does his field of expertise connect him to the above-mentioned reported research that we are (like) on
The axis that distinguishes social-evolutionary-symbiotic characterizations of bacteria
and fungi for biochemical communication between these animals.
Does this research also have mathematical-physical aspects?
It is not clear from the article...
R. H.,
Did you read what I wrote? It seems that you are the one who decides just like that that you have to respond, because my response was not to the article, but to Gali, who is looking for biological motives, and to other researchers who think like her.
my daughter,
Did you read the article or do you automatically respond with passwords?
Just a few quotes from above:
"...swarms of bacteria with 'social intelligence'"
"...the bacteria, which were recently recognized as a species with a particularly sophisticated social behavior.."
"But the smart bacteria,..."
In addition, there is a reference to another article in the journal about the work of Prof. Ben Yaacov from October 16, 2011
"Microbiology - the smartest bacteria in the world / Anna Kuchment"
But really, don't let the facts confuse you. You know exactly why the researchers refuse to believe and what they don't understand, don't you?
jelly,
Simple wisdom is a valuable biological mechanism, and even the researchers who refuse to believe that very small animals have intelligence should begin to understand that they do not understand everything that happens in the universe.
jelly,
These are two levels of explanation. From the biological side, what communication materials are secreted by the fungi and bacteria, what receptors pick them up and what are the biochemical pathways that end in cell movement. Beyond that there are behavioral explanations, what is the advantage of this connection between bacteria and fungi? What will happen to a bacterial or fungal mutant that does not maintain the connection?
By definition, we are talking about the "social" behavior of the microorganisms and the questions are not invalid at all and they are certainly conventional. Today there is a branch and extensive research on these questions.
It sounds like the department of literature or sociology. The finding should be explained by a conventional biological explanation: the bacterium attached itself to the fungus and they formed a large body that moved a great distance. And the bacteria thereby helped the fungi, which are unable to move on their own, to move away from places where the researchers dripped a substance toxic to the fungi. It seems that we need to look for a biological mechanism behind this and not a sociological social mechanism.
Is Aspergillus not a dangerous species for humans?
How come there is still no news about D foods
The LHCb Collaboration has presented today at the Hadron Collider Particle Symposium in Paris possible first evidence for CP violation, the difference between the behavior of matter (particles) and antimatter (antiparticles), in charm decays. The study of CP violation in both charm and beauty particle decays is central to the LHCb physics program. In the Standard Model CP violation is expected to be very small in the charm sector, whereas new physics effects could generate enhancements.
http://lhcb-public.web.cern.ch/lhcb-public/