Before revision: Cells  utilize chemical communication to exchange information and coordinate their behavior in noisy environments. Depending on the scenario, communication can reduce variability and shape a collective response, or amplify variability to generate distinct phenotypic subpopulations.
After revision: Cells utilize chemical communication to exchange information and coordinate their behavior in the presence of noise. Communication can reduce noise to shape a collective response, or amplify variability to generate distinct phenotypic subpopulations.