you might be surprised to discover that there is a perfectly reasonable physical candidate for a complex living network that existed from the very beginning -- and still exists today -- that would qualify as a highly evolved state of -lrb- seemingly -rrb- pure consciousness that we might have devolved from . i refer , of course , to bacteria and archaebacteria , which i will collectively call bacteria -- or microbes -- for convenience . microbes meet all the criteria for a non-rule-based network

elizabeth smiled at the memory . '' birdie ? '' elizabeth twisted around . meghann was standing beside her mud-coated black porsche boxster . her designer jeans and black cashmere sweater were streaked by rain , and her hair was so frizzy it looked as if she 'd had shock treatments . '' are you aware that it 's raining

' as i said , sir , i just pass on the papers . ' ' and alan harper ? ' ' you mean james mitchell ? ' ' well , actually , i mean monsieur alain martin . ' mccoll shut his eyes and shook his head at the thought of trying to sort out that tangle . he stood up to signal the end of the meeting

her hair had been tamed into a pair of thick braids . a stunningly beautiful cloisonne necklace hung between her br ** sts . '' hurry up , '' she yelled , then disappeared inside . elizabeth walked across the street . at the gallery , she stopped . her feet refused to move forward . anita said , '' good luck , honey , '' and shoved her into the
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