Saturday, October 15, 2011

If bacteria can coordinate, what's wrong with us?


The type of consensus decision-making carried on at the Occupy Wall Street protest may go back almost to the origin of life on Earth. Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have discovered that bacteria make group decisions as well.

Not only that, but these collective decisions appear to influence how much carbon is taken out of the planet’s atmosphere by ocean bacteria and thereby affect the global climate.

According to a study reported by Science Daily, “In the ocean, bacteria coalesce on tiny particles of carbon-rich detritus sinking through the depths.” These bacteria send out chemical signals that, in effect, say, “Hey! Is there anybody else out there?” — and if enough responses come back, the entire group starts secreting enzymes that break up the carbon-containing molecules into handy snack-sized chunks....
Read the rest at Raw Story, Group planning by bacteria may affect Earth’s climate by Muriel Kane

10 comments:

The Red Capitalist said...

Its interesting you posted this. Doesn't this support the argument for 'linear' societies?

googleheim said...

I'd like to add that Geochemical erosion found in the Himalayas has significant carbon uptake.

But that is an inconvenient FACT which the greens will not acknowledge.

Also, volcanoes block out the sun and cool the earth - another inconvenient fact.

We need to occupy nature street and demand more erosion ( break up all the hydro dams which impound water and reduce erosion ) as well as use something to spur more volcanic activity.

here here ! I do say !

Tom Hickey said...

I posted it more as a retort to the Ayn Rand - "it's every men for himself" crowd that is so convinced of methodological/ontological individualism. Group coordination begins at the earliest stages of life.

Matt Franko said...

We reason Tom ?

googleheim said...

I agree

Tom Hickey said...

Matt, the fact that we reason seems to get in the way of some people feeling, which is the basis of instinct that manifests in humanity as intuition and conscience. It amazes me that Ayn Rand was so fixated on "reason" that she thought intuition, feeling and conscience were not only irrelevant but damaging.

According to psychology, a person without feeling or conscience is a sociopath. I was just reading in The Sociopath Next Door where the author claims that 4% of the population are sociopaths. Seems like some of them apparently made it to the top of the heap instead of ending up in prison or a psych ward.

Matt Franko said...

From the cigarette hag herself:

"RAND: Qua religion, no — in the sense of blind belief, belief unsupported by, or contrary to, the facts of reality and the conclusions of reason. Faith, as such, is extremely detrimental to human life: it is the negation of reason.

Cough... cough... she continues:

RAND: ...Put it another way: If I had to choose between faith and reason, I wouldn’t consider the choice even conceivable. As a human being, one chooses reason..."

Ooookay..... this seems to be working out well...

Now contrast with Apostle Paul: "...vain were they made in their reasonings, and darkened is their unintelligent heart.
22 Alleging themselves to be wise, they are made stupid,..."

We in the MMT paradigm know these elites are truly being made "stupid" (Greek: moron).

I dont know how much worse it could get for them.... Tom has pointed out here that single celled organisms perhaps exhibit more 'intelligence'...

Resp,

The Red Capitalist said...

4%? Geez, and I thought I was very special in this world.

GLH said...

Bacteria don't have corporate politicians to deal with.

Matt Franko said...

Tom, It looks like it may be related to vanity. Or as Paul reveals here, 'vain reasonings'.

I remember when Warren Mosler appeared on the CNBC set on 'Squawk' in the morning. WM made a statement to the effect that the government is not constrained in its ability to credit a bank account, etc.. and I believe it was Becky who challenged him on this saying something somewhat dismissive; "I wish I could just do that... doesnt that catch up with you some time??, etc.". and just went to the other guest with no follow up. A very vain, reasoned reaction.

http://moslereconomics.com/2010/02/16/warren-on-cnbc/

If you are a truth seeker, what I would consider to be the definition of 'intelligent', you would not react this way that Ms Quick does. Here you have a guy who has been in the business for decades, designed some of the original derivative instruments, etc.. and instead of trying to understand what he is saying (where you might actually learn something) you just vainly reason with yourself that he doesnt know what he is talking about while you and the other guest do and dismiss his information...

You have to have some humility in order to seek truth. Most of the people Mike has also encountered in his video hits also seem to have high levels of vanity and are dismissive of Mike when he tries to edify them (Varney/Gasparino, etc).

"vain were they made in their reasonings... alleging themselves to be wise, they are made morons..." Romans 1:21

It cant be put in simpler terms. I guess fortunately for bacteria, they are a life form that has not been given the capacity for "vain reasonings".

Resp,