Unpacking the Biology of Communication

New research is challenging the way scientists think about "communication" in biology and cognitive science. Many researchers in these fields are using the term to describe a wide range of biological processes, from the interactions between single cells to the way animals and computers communicate. However, the role of "communication" in these fields has not been thoroughly examined by philosophers, and some researchers are proposing new approaches that integrate insights from different areas of biology using the concepts of "information" and "communication". To better understand the implications of this term, the researchers analyzed over 1 million scientific articles and found that the meaning of "communication" varies widely depending on the context, raising questions about how we should think about biological phenomena.