“Eating and Cognition in Two Animals without Neurons: Sponges and Trichoplax”

This paper argues that eating, a fundamental behavior for all organisms, involves cognitive processes such as procuring, processing, and assessing information, which are essential for maintaining the organism. The authors support Ladislav Kováč’s view that cognition is grounded in chemical signaling and processing. Using Cisek’s phylogenetic refinement approach, they focus on two animal phyla, Porifera and Placozoa, which lack neurons, muscles, and an alimentary canal but still coordinate diverse cell types to control eating. The review highlights research on how these organisms gather and process information to regulate their feeding behaviors, providing insights into the cognitive basis of eating.