Proof!

Several months ago I wrote a note called "Thoughts on the Origin," that detailed a theory I developed with my wife (who is a skeptic), that explains an apparent gap in darwinian evolution, the creationist battle-cry of irreducible complexity. I supposed earlier that cells have an inherent internal intelligence that they use to drive their evolution in a positive direction. Now I have found a suggested proof of this: enter Japanese cell biologist Toshiyuki Nakagaki. In a paper appearing in the prestigious Nature journal, he noted how the slime mold Physarum Polycephalum, when placed in a maze, will determine the shortest possible route towards its food (Nature 407, 470 (28 September 2000)). This means that an amoeboid slime mold can make decisions on length of time and distance, and can elect to use the shortest distance possible. Mind you, these notably dendritic mycelial structures do have some resemblance to a highly primitive neural network, but one can hardly compare a slime mold mat on a forest floor to even a lobster's brain. It is oft-assumed that the lower eukaryotic and all prokaryotic species do not make decisions, do not have the ability to make decisions. However, as one who has dabbled in and been amazed by cellular life, the power and depth of the living organism should not be underestimated. The old way of looking at cells, that they simply react uncontrollably to stimuli presented to them, and the greater the stimulus the greater the reaction until threshold et cetera, is a mindset that underestimates the capability of the cell.
What I postulate is that cells illustrate intelligence on not just the macro whole-organism level, but even on the internal moloecular signaling level. Take cancer cells for instance. A p16-deficient melanoma cell will use the PI-3 kinase and akt signaling pathway to regulate its survival and proliferation. When faced with an insult, some drug or toxin that interrupts this signaling, the cancer cell will switch signaling pathways, perhaps to mTOR, or even some other pathway. This is evident in the treatment of elusive and deadly cancers like melanoma (J Invest Dermatol. 2006 Oct;126(10):2160-6.). What is amazing is the cells ability to adapt and change based on its environment. Of course, in this case, it is cell regulation gone awry, but the trait is still evident. So perhaps then, it is not an inconceivable jump to suggest that cells, over time, great amount of time, can drive permanent alterations to their phenotype and even genotype. Such alterations can even go so far as to develop into novel species, distinct from the ancestor.