Can Cells Make a Decision? Intelligence Without a Brain

“The living cell, which makes up our bodies, is incredibly smart,” says German biologist František Baluška.

“Of course,” the interviewer responds. “It’s obviously very sophisticated, though we’re still discovering just how complex it is.”

“No,” Baluška replies. “You misunderstood me. I don’t mean sophisticated. I mean intelligent. Do you see the difference?”

He explains that his research suggests cells are not merely advanced biological machines. They can feel. They experience sensations. They are not comparable to computers or spacecraft operating according to fixed programs.

“Really?” the interviewer asks. “How can you know that? Aren’t these behaviors simply the result of genetic coding?”

“No,” Baluška answers. “That explanation is no longer sufficient.”

Beyond the Genetic Script

In September 2023, Baluška published research that challenges one of biology’s most deeply rooted assumptions. Despite enormous advances in cellular research, he argues that the field remains locked into a genetic-information framework developed in the 1960s, a framework that no longer accounts for what we now observe.

Using microscopes capable of magnifying millions of times, Baluška and his colleagues filmed single-celled organisms in action. The footage shows bacteria extending long filaments, hair-like structures, to extract genetic material from neighboring bacteria. This process, known as horizontal gene transfer, allows bacteria to acquire traits such as antibiotic resistance.

In practice, this means that when one bacterium develops resistance, others actively seek out and incorporate the necessary DNA themselves.

This turns the traditional model on its head. Instead of genes dictating behavior, behavior appears to guide genetic change. Cells do not simply obey their DNA. They update it.

Speed, Choice, and Survival

Baluška is careful with his language. He does not claim cells possess desire in the human sense. But he insists that their actions cannot be explained as purely gene-driven. Genetic processes are slow. DNA is tightly packed within chromatin and can take hours or days to activate and issue instructions. Yet cells respond to environmental changes in milliseconds.

Cells are constantly striving for balance and survival. When exposed to heat, they release substances that prevent overheating. In salty environments, they reinforce their membranes to block harmful infiltration. Their membranes are selectively permeable, allowing them to absorb or release substances according to internal conditions.

“Cells respond within milliseconds,” Baluška says. “That cannot be explained by genetics alone.”

A Coordinated Intelligence

Though his conclusions may sound startling, he supports them with observation. Cells behave as integrated units. Their internal components coordinate, communicate, and respond collectively to changing conditions.

Other researchers are reaching similar conclusions. London-based scientist Frédéric Sallesvesque argues that cells exhibit cognitive abilities. They sense their environment, process information, and respond appropriately. When cells function in groups, their behavior becomes synchronized. They share information. They cooperate.

Taken together, this suggests that a form of awareness is occurring millions of times within us at every moment.

Wisdom Beneath Awareness

Fortunately, our conscious minds are unaware of this constant activity. If we were, we would be overwhelmed. Yet beneath our awareness operates an internal command system that manages materials, regulates countless biochemical processes, and navigates an endless stream of potential threats with extraordinary precision.

We may debate the exact terminology used by these researchers. We may question how best to define intelligence or cognition at the cellular level. But one conclusion is difficult to escape.

The immense wisdom embedded in every living cell is not random, mechanical, or accidental. It reflects a depth of design that points beyond biology itself to the wisdom of the Creator, which cannot be explained by any other means.