Chris Kempes

I mean, my finger only matters in the sense that it eventually interfaces with that one copy of the genome. So if I lose a finger, maybe I die because of that. Hopefully I don't lose a finger. But, you know, it's that little bit of tissue is... its entire sort of connection is to this one genome.

I mean, my finger only matters in the sense that it eventually interfaces with that one copy of the genome. So if I lose a finger, maybe I die because of that. Hopefully I don't lose a finger. But, you know, it's that little bit of tissue is... its entire sort of connection is to this one genome.

And it's hard for my finger to decide, actually, I don't really want to hang out with this guy anymore. I'm going to go do my own single cell thing and try and make my own living in the environment. All the cells in my body are committed to each other in a way that's very hard for any of us to defect. Right.

And it's hard for my finger to decide, actually, I don't really want to hang out with this guy anymore. I'm going to go do my own single cell thing and try and make my own living in the environment. All the cells in my body are committed to each other in a way that's very hard for any of us to defect. Right.

Yeah, and I think it's, you know, there's a whole debate there about what the eukaryotes have that makes them special for forming multicellular assemblages. People argue that it's the regulatory capacities that those cells have built up to, say, regulate all of these mitochondria. So mitochondria are great. But a bad mitochondria is just a parasite living inside of you as a unicellular eukaryote.

Yeah, and I think it's, you know, there's a whole debate there about what the eukaryotes have that makes them special for forming multicellular assemblages. People argue that it's the regulatory capacities that those cells have built up to, say, regulate all of these mitochondria. So mitochondria are great. But a bad mitochondria is just a parasite living inside of you as a unicellular eukaryote.

So you have to regulate its metabolism. You have to make sure it doesn't eat your resources. This is why many people think The mitochondria has such a stripped down genome and actually requires the nucleus to make things for it that get exported and imported into the mitochondria to regulate it and so forth.

So you have to regulate its metabolism. You have to make sure it doesn't eat your resources. This is why many people think The mitochondria has such a stripped down genome and actually requires the nucleus to make things for it that get exported and imported into the mitochondria to regulate it and so forth.

And so there's a huge amount of regulatory machinery built up in eukaryotes. And some people think that's what's really essential for forming eukaryotes. multicellular assemblages where you can then differentiate and regulate cells of different types. In that same sort of vein, there's unique developmental capacities in eukaryotes, unicellular eukaryotes that people think is maybe important.

And so there's a huge amount of regulatory machinery built up in eukaryotes. And some people think that's what's really essential for forming eukaryotes. multicellular assemblages where you can then differentiate and regulate cells of different types. In that same sort of vein, there's unique developmental capacities in eukaryotes, unicellular eukaryotes that people think is maybe important.

And so there it may be in this case, you know, there is a wall at the upper end of eukaryotes. But in this case, it may be that it's not as hard to jump over the wall because the things that you're forced to do as a eukaryote actually make this multicellular step really easy. And in fact, we see many origins, many unique and separate origins of multicellularity in the history of life.

And so there it may be in this case, you know, there is a wall at the upper end of eukaryotes. But in this case, it may be that it's not as hard to jump over the wall because the things that you're forced to do as a eukaryote actually make this multicellular step really easy. And in fact, we see many origins, many unique and separate origins of multicellularity in the history of life.

And so that tells us something. It tells us that it's potentially a much easier step than other things, maybe because all the stuff you build up as a eukaryote is exactly what you need to make the next transition in hierarchy. That may have been less true for prokaryotes or eukaryotes.

And so that tells us something. It tells us that it's potentially a much easier step than other things, maybe because all the stuff you build up as a eukaryote is exactly what you need to make the next transition in hierarchy. That may have been less true for prokaryotes or eukaryotes.

Exactly. And I think that's just a really wonderful example of they set up a certain sort of physical selection and that selection is sinking or not sinking. Yeah. And then because of that, you get organisms, these snowflake yeast, that build up more surface area to sink more slowly, and they're the ones that get selected on in this environment. But yeah, I think that's sort of two stories.

Exactly. And I think that's just a really wonderful example of they set up a certain sort of physical selection and that selection is sinking or not sinking. Yeah. And then because of that, you get organisms, these snowflake yeast, that build up more surface area to sink more slowly, and they're the ones that get selected on in this environment. But yeah, I think that's sort of two stories.

One is physical constraints matter, and the other is it seems pretty easy for lots of single-cell eukaryotes to form multicellular organisms, and then to start doing, I think in lots of Will's recent work, they're showing pretty sophisticated cell differentiation, right?

One is physical constraints matter, and the other is it seems pretty easy for lots of single-cell eukaryotes to form multicellular organisms, and then to start doing, I think in lots of Will's recent work, they're showing pretty sophisticated cell differentiation, right?

That you're actually starting to get cells performing different types of functions throughout the colony, and that's really exciting.

That you're actually starting to get cells performing different types of functions throughout the colony, and that's really exciting.