Overview

• The study, published in *Nature Physics*, identifies cooperative feeding behaviors in Stentor coeruleus as an early driver of multicellular evolution.
• Researchers demonstrated that neighboring Stentors double their feeding efficiency by creating stronger fluid flows together, benefiting the colony as a whole.
• Unlike other early multicellular models, Stentor colonies are temporary and composed of genetically distinct individuals, representing a primitive stage of multicellularity.
• Mathematical modeling confirmed that Stentor colonies optimize energetic payoffs through frequent partner switching, termed 'promiscuity.'
• The research challenges traditional chemical-centric views of multicellularity's origins by emphasizing the role of physical forces in evolutionary history.