Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — For generations, divers and marine biologists have been captivated by the rhythmic, pulsating motion of certain corals, opening and closing their tentacles in perfect unison despite having no brain. A new Israeli study now explains how that is possible, raising potential applications for robotics and swarm technology, the researchers told The Press Service of Israel.
Scientists from Tel Aviv University and the University of Haifa have uncovered for the first time the mechanism that allows the soft coral Xenia umbellata to coordinate these movements without any central nervous system. According to the study, the coral relies on a decentralized neural “pacemaker” system in which each tentacle is controlled locally by its own network of nerve cells, yet remains synchronized with the others.
The findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal PNAS.
“We discovered for the first time that corals carry out this movement, which is essential for their survival, without any centralized control system. Each tentacle operates independently yet in full synchronization with the others,” Professor Yehuda Benayahu, who supervised the research, told TPS-IL.
He added that the implications extend beyond marine biology. “This principle could inform engineering and robotics. If engineers want to avoid complete shutdowns of complex machines or robots, they should build them in a similar way, with control distributed across separate hubs rather than a single center. That way, damage to one part will not disable the entire system.”
According to Benayahu, corals from the Xeniidae family are known for their distinctive pulsing behavior, which plays a crucial role in feeding and survival. Until now, he said, scientists could observe the movement but could not explain how it was generated. To investigate, his team conducted a series of cutting experiments, separating tentacles from the coral and even dividing them into smaller fragments. They discovered that each detached piece continued to pulse on its own.
To better understand the biological basis of this coordination, the researchers also analyzed gene expression during different stages of tentacle regeneration and found that the coral uses genes and proteins involved in neural signal transmission that are also present in much more complex animals. These include molecular components associated with rhythmic activity in processes such as heartbeat and breathing in humans.
Benayahu said the discovery suggests that the origins of rhythmic movement in the animal kingdom predate the evolution of centralized brains.
“It is fascinating to reach the conclusion that the same molecular components that activate the pacemaker of the human heart are also at work in a coral that appeared in the oceans hundreds of millions of years ago,” he said. “The coral we studied allows us to look back in time, to the dawn of the evolution of the nervous system in the animal kingdom.”
He added that the findings also deepen scientific understanding of coral reef ecosystems and underscore the need to preserve them at a time when coral reefs worldwide face mounting environmental threats.
Related Topics
