ULTIMATE COMPUTING - Quantum Consciousness Studies

56 Origin and Evolution of Life
Relevant to evolution is that centrioles provided eukaryotes with a
sophisticated cellular information processing and communication system. The
consequences of such a system on biology is perhaps analogous to the potential
impact of computers on societies. The mystery and aesthetic elegance of
centrioles, as well as the fact that in certain instances they appear superfluous,
have created an enigmatic aura about this marvelous organelle. In the forward to
Wheatley’s (1982) book Centrioles: The Central Enigma in Cell Biology,
biochemist B. R. Brinkley states:
Before Gallileo’s telescope challenged their views, early scholars
argued that the earth was the center of the universe around which
revolved the sun. Following their discovery by light microscopists,
centrioles were given an equally permanent role in the cytoplasm of
eukaryotic cells. This minute organelle was thought to be the center
of the cytoplasmic universe ... .
Centrioles’ structural beauty, unfathomable geometry, intricate behavior,
navigational command, and apparent origin as invader from the prokaryotic
kingdom add to their mystique. Writing in Wheatley’s book, Patelca states:
“biologists have long been haunted by the possibility that the primary significance
of centrioles has escaped them.”
A possible conclusion is that centrioles are intelligent nano-engines who
“jumped ship” from a previous species to symbiotically upscale their lifestyle. By
so doing, they have coopted biology and, in concert with other dynamic
cytoskeletal structures, pushed intelligence to its current stage of evolution. The
next symbiotic event may have equally profound implications. Nanoscale
technologies may directly interact with biomolecular intelligence.
Figure 3.4: Centrioles in cell division. 1) Cross-section of centriole microtubule
triplet. 2) Cross section of a centriole with 9 microtubule triplets, 9 satellite bodies,
and central “pinwheel” structure. 3) Centriole pairs near cell nucleus, prior to cell
division. 4) Centriole pairs have separated and migrated; chromosomes ready for
separation. 5) Mitotic spindles, composed of microtubules, have formed from