Project description
Evolution of neuro-signaling: lessons from unicellular organisms.
Unicellular organisms, such as diatoms, algae, and protists, are able to recognise their environmental boundaries, respond to stimuli and change their behaviour accordingly. Yet these primitive life forms do not have nervous systems. The EU-funded project EvoMotion aims to determine the sensorimotor pathways and early movement control mechanisms in unicellular organisms, demonstrating that a nervous system is not required for their complex behaviour. Research will involve interdisciplinary approaches including physiological assays, computational analysis and testing hypothesis using robotics-aided experiments. This investigation is going to develop novel designs for behavioural studies of aneural unicellular organisms to probe their capacity to interact with the environment.
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Funding Scheme
ERC-STG - Starting GrantHost institution
EX4 4QJ Exeter
United Kingdom
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Beneficiaries (1)
EX4 4QJ Exeter
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