Clockwork-like 'computer' discovered inside brainless microscopic organism

 By Tessa Koumoundouros

Euplotes species under a microscope. (Roland Birke/Photodisc/Getty Images)

Tiny single-celled critters obviously don't have room for a brain to tell them how to move in complex ways, so to get about, they usually roll, slither or swim.

But microscopic pond dwellers called Euplotes eurystomus have mastered a way to walk brainlessly – scurrying about like insects, with their 14 little appendages.

 

They appear to move a bit like the Dutch-designed kinetic sculptures called Strandbeasts, with clockwork-like connections cycling them through a pattern of set states that can be adjusted in response to their environment.

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By Tessa Koumoundouros / Editorial Assistant and Journalist at ScienceAlert

She adores all living things, so it’s no surprise she mainly writes about biology, health, and the environment. 

Tessa has contributed behind the scenes at The Conversation and the Climate Council, and her science reporting has been published by Lateral Magazine. She holds a Bachelor of Science with honors, majoring in zoology and genetics, and a Masters in Science Communication. She has also worked as an exotics veterinary nurse, before joining the ScienceAlert editorial team in 2018.

She is an accomplished illustrator and designer, and puts her skills to work when curating incredible images for ScienceAlert's social media, and designing infographics such as our This Week in Science series.

In her spare time, Tessa loves exploring wild places, stalking wildlife with a camera, reading, and drawing.

(Source: sciencealert.com; October 14, 2022; https://tinyurl.com/2fsnrpox)
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