The notion that individualism came first runs against the very grain of cosmic history.... grouping has been inherent in evolution since the first quarks joined to form neutrons and protons. Similarly, replicators—RNA, DNA, and genes—have always worked in teams... The bacteria of 3.5 billion years ago were creatures of the crowd. So were the trilobites and echinoderms of the Cambrian age.

Ch.3 The Embryonic Meme - Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century (2000)