In our training as medical doctors we are not taught about other life forms as being that intelligent. I think this is pure ignorance. There are signs of intelligence even in bacteria. For example bacterial biofilms behave as one organism and they even interact with each other in ways that seem intelligent:
Or how about this study comparing ants and humans in solving a puzzle:
Full article:
Another example of collective intelligence is how a body is built during development. The currently mainstream view is that the genes coordinate development but there are some cracks in this theory. Michael Levin’s lab showed that manipulating the cell voltage can alter the gene expression and the fate of the cells. The affected cells can even convince the unaffected neighboring cells to work together to accomplish a grand goal, like building an eye on the body of a frog:
Some of the articles related to the ectopic eye:
Journal of Experimental Biology article
In the big picture I think it is very important to see the intelligence at the cellular level as a building block for a whole organism. Imagine accepting that the cells in our bodies have a pretty good level of intelligence and competence. That may change how we see health and medicine. For example how would you approach an extremely intelligent liver? Would you still eat junk food that damages the liver? How would this change the treatment for liver diseases?