Study reveals single cells can exhibit learning-like behaviors

A new study indicates that individual cells can exhibit learning-like behaviors, specifically habituation, which was previously thought to be exclusive to organisms with nervous systems. Researchers used computational models to show how cells adapt to repeated stimuli through biochemical circuits. The study identified two key molecular circuits—negative feedback loops and incoherent feedforward loops—that enable cells to adjust their responses. This finding suggests that cells can "remember" stimuli, potentially explaining phenomena like cancer cell resistance to treatment. Published in Current Biology, the research bridges gaps between neuroscience and cognitive science, offering a new perspective on learning at the cellular level. Future experiments are needed to validate these computational predictions.