Liquid brains, solid brains

Cognitive networks have evolved a broad range of solutions to the problem of gathering, storing and responding to information. Some of these networks are describable as static sets of neurons linked in an adaptive web of connections. These are 'solid' networks, with a well-defined and phys...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological sciences 2019-04, Vol.374 (1774), p.20190040-20190040
Main Authors: Solé, Ricard, Moses, Melanie, Forrest, Stephanie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bacterial Physiological Phenomena
Brain - physiology
Cognition - physiology
Humans
Immune System - physiology
Insecta - physiology
Physarum - physiology
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Summary:Cognitive networks have evolved a broad range of solutions to the problem of gathering, storing and responding to information. Some of these networks are describable as static sets of neurons linked in an adaptive web of connections. These are 'solid' networks, with a well-defined and physically persistent architecture. Other systems are formed by sets of agents that exchange, store and process information but without persistent connections or move relative to each other in physical space. We refer to these networks that lack stable connections and static elements as 'liquid' brains, a category that includes ant and termite colonies, immune systems and some microbiomes and slime moulds. What are the key differences between solid and liquid brains, particularly in their cognitive potential, ability to solve particular problems and environments, and information-processing strategies? To answer this question requires a new, integrative framework. This article is part of the theme issue 'Liquid brains, solid brains: How distributed cognitive architectures process information'.
ISSN:0962-8436
1471-2970
DOI:10.1098/rstb.2019.0040