A level up from single-celled microorganisms, we come to cellular Life.
Each of the trillions of cells in a human body is its own fascinating microcosmic system of systems, with an astonishingly complex array of machines and systems maintaining and generating life.
Organelles within the cell provide structure, hold space, create, process, and pack molecules, transport molecules to specific destinations inside or outside the cell, fight and digest invaders, process and expel toxins and waste, recycle and repair worn-out components, convert energy into food, and operate a command center directing the cell towards its goal.
If you have never witnessed the sight of a protein walking along an intracellular structure while carrying a molecule towards its destination, it is a sight to behold. If we didn’t know what we were looking at, we would think that the protein was an intelligent living creature that knew how to walk and carry things, working in harmony with other sub-cellular Life forms to carry out the functions of Life.
Maybe it is. Maybe we should Act As If they are.
Some of these living sub-systems contain even smaller subsystems, which include their own separate genetic information and abilities to replicate.
This astonishingly complex machinery, along with the entire book of information required to generate the entire physical and metaphysical being that allows a human to hear or read these words, is present in nearly every one of the tens of trillions of cells in your body.
This is a level of complexity and wonder that cannot adequately be expressed in words. We are working towards immersive virtual reality experiences that will help future learners dive far deeper into this mystery.
For now, remember to look deeper. Look deeper. There is more.
Here is a quick video to give you a peek inside of the "unseeable biology" from a TED Talk by Drew Berry.
Here is a quick video of a motor protein (Kinesin) walking along a structure (microtubule) as it moves a molecule within a cell.
!Motor Protein Moving Molecule.mp4
We would be wise to Act As If every cell of Life were living and Intelligent of their own right.
Based on what we know of the collective intelligence and coordinative capability of Viruses, Funghi, proteins, and sub-cellular Life... we can no longer deny that Life and Intelligence are present at far smaller levels, in a far more distributed manner than we previously imagined over the last hundreds of years.
The elders of indigenous cultures teach that even rocks are "living", in far more profound ways than we have imagined in the past, and scriptures proclaim that if we do not, even the rocks will cry out.
Based on all available scientific evidence, indigenous wisdom, and millennia of deep spiritual and human experience, we would be wise to Act As If it were True until we can disprove our Current Best Understanding that Intelligence is distributed and present throughout the entire Living System emanating from One Supreme Intelligence.
Forward to 7.29 Tissues
Back to 7.27 Cells
Back to table of contents The Book of Lionsberg