A living cell receives chemical signals whose strength fluctuates like flames under a capricious stove. To avoid ruining the dish (that is, not deviating from its developmental path) the cell doesn’t just suppress noise. It behaves like an experienced chef: it tastes, makes mistakes, and carefully adjusts the recipe, adapting to the heat.

Scientists confirmed this using computer simulations of developing neural tissue. The cell-chef constantly fine-tunes the sensitivity of proteins, just as a chef adjusts spices. This trial-and-error method resembles learning algorithms, and the underlying principle of striving toward order was formulated by Boltzmann.

This high level of organization means the noisy stove is no longer a threat. But if feedback is excessive, oscillations arise, similar to eddies in ionized gas, and the overall signaling background resembles the cosmic microwave background. The measure of disorder is entropy, and the cell reduces it, achieving culinary perfection. Moreover, the same chemical signal can set different fates for the cell, just as one note in different keys produces a different melody.