Prior work has extensively explored the idea that the autopoietic processes of self-construction of bodies and of minds have a fundamental symmetry. In other words, morphogenesis* itself is a cognitive process and literally the behavior of the collective intelligence of cells (as our mammalian cognition is the behavior of a collective of neural and other cells).

—Michael Levin

* Morphogenesis is the fundamental biological process where cells, tissues, and organisms develop their specific shapes and complex structures—creating patterns and organized forms from a single cell into a complete organism. It is the “creation of shape,” the turning of simple beginnings (like a fertilized egg) into intricate, organized bodies. It is the process wherein underlying questions about matter and form come together to define collective behavior.