Multi-cellular
organisms exhibit many
mechanisms of intercellular communication for control and
developmental purposes. Neurotransmitters
,
hormones
, and signals mediating such processes as
apoptosis
and angio-genesis
are but a few of these mechanisms. An abstraction of intercellular
communication is presented here to provide a basis for constructing
artificial life forms and self-organizing systems. Although the
investigational vehicle is a cellular automaton
, a cell in this context can be viewed in a broader
sense. An intercellular signal is defined as a parameterized entity,
a powerful paradigm that expresses not only lateral but also
hierarchical and even recursive control structures. ``Game of
Life''
, Turing machine
and
other examples are included.