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Evolution of social “cognitive cell” adaptations in unicellular organisms with complex mating traits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2025

Kevin B. Clark Open the ORCID record for Kevin B. Clark [Opens in a new window]
Kevin B. Clark*
Affiliation:
Cures Within Reach, Chicago, IL 60602, USA Campus and Domain Champions Program, Multi-Tier Assistance, Training, and Computational Help (MATCH) Track, National Science Foundation’s Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services and Support, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890, USA Expert Network, Penn Center for Innovation, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA Networks for Life Detection (NfoLD) and Life From Early Cells to Multicellularity (LIFE), Research Coordination Networks, NASA Astrobiology Program, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA 94035, USA Frontier Development Lab, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA 94036, USA SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA Peace Innovation Institute, The Hague 2511, Netherlands Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94035, USA Shared Interest Group for Natural and Artificial Intelligence (sigNAI), Max Planck Alumni Association, 14057 Berlin, Germany Biometrics and Nanotechnology Councils, Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), New York, NY 10016-5997, USA Data Standards Technical Working Group, National Ecological Observatory Network, National Science Foundation and Battelle, Boulder, CO 80301, USA kbclarkphd@yahoo.com
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Social intelligences and goal-directed behaviors of mate selection show conservation throughout phylogeny, from unicellular to multicellular life. Some microbes co-evolved somatic ornaments and weapons, behavioral courtship and dominance routines, and decision-making logics that facilitate mate choice, rival deterrence, and monogamy, gating spread of inferior genes from promiscuous unions. Such “cognitive cell” adaptations help microbes direct niche evolution for improved survival.

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Open Peer Commentary
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Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 48 , 2025 , e85
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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