What if we pushed the boundaries of bacterial communication in Thrive by integrating a concept rooted in our own neurobiology: serotonin-like chemical exchange? Emerging research, such as studies demonstrating serotonin’s role in activating bacterial quorum sensing and enhancing virulence, reveals that this ‘ancient molecule’ isn’t just a brain chemical, but a profound evolutionary signal. Imagine bacteria in our game not only using self-produced signals to coordinate, but also detecting and responding to host-generated compounds akin to serotonin—a chemical whisper from their environment that influences their collective behaviors like resource allocation, defense, or even symbiotic interactions. This mechanic offers a rich philosophical ground, suggesting that the very ‘feelings’ we experience could be hyper-evolved versions of primordial, inter-kingdom chemical signaling, connecting our deepest shared biology with the microscopic world of evolving life in Thrive. Serotonin Activates Bacterial Quorum Sensing and Enhances the Virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the Host - PMC
So would this just be extra modes of interspecial reactions and stuff?
I was thinking something like environmental effect on disposition.
So they move towards or away from you when they detect the serotonin?
Welcome to the forum, @chrisnchips42! The gut-brain-immuno axis is fascinating research. In my classes, I have learned that olfactory receptors are not just found in the nose, but in many parts of the body, and have other uses such as chemotaxis and regulating blood pressure. So chemosensoring is very diverse.
Oh right I forgot, welcome to the forum @chrisnchips42 ! Also did you put the 42 in your name purposefully?
Welcome to the forum, @chrisnchips42.
What would be significantly different compared to the signalling agent currently in the game? (though that is just for interspecies communication and is kind of missing an AI feature where the AI could sometimes decide to ignore it, but it is extremely difficult to find anyone to improve the AI code)
I think this is meant to boost the interspecies communication variability rather than the one between the cells of one species. And seemingly it would be embedded into your cell from the very beginning.
Seems kind of strange why that would be. Surely the first ever membrane-bound “cell” didn’t have that ability yet evolved? So it shouldn’t be at the start of Thrive either.
Well I got that part from this:
Maybe it would just be very useful to evolve early on instead?
Lol I don’t think that would be the effect of serotonin like precursors, but yes, that’s totally the application of my idea. Like a spread out, super rudimentary nervous system. Sorry guys, I’m no programmer, and I don’t know what it would take to implement.
And sexual reproduction is possibly linked to digestion. Evolutionary biology is so neat. I’m here as a nerd consult if you want one .
42 is the meaning of life
Please don’t triple post unless your post is over 64,000 characters long. You can edit your posts to add to them, as well as quote/@ people to reply to multiple on one post.
On the microbe stage’s set it wouldn’t need to simulate an actual neural network and only later on, right?
The concept of signaling agent could be expanded upon to make it more diverse like the toxisome or toxic vacuole, so you choose between different produced signals (serotonine, adrenaline, etc.) to which other cells (not only of your species) react differently. You could also add quorum sensor which would work akin to chemoreceptor and boost your species sensitivity to signals. Or you can add a sensitivity slider in a behaviour tab (which would make it useful gameplay wise).
Would be a decent improvement but not sure it’s worth the effort especially now.