Bacteria Use Collisions to Navigate Crowded Environments, Micro-Maze Experiments Reveal

Bacteria use collisions to navigate crowded environments, micro-maze experiments reveal

Some bacteria can sense when they bump into each other and use these interactions to shape how the group organizes and moves. This discovery reveals a new way microbes explore their environments using physical feedback rather than chemical signals.

Bacteria Turn Bumps Into Signals to Escape Crowds and Conquer Mazes

EPFL researchers have discovered that Pseudomonas aeruginosa senses collisions with neighboring cells and reverses direction, allowing bacterial populations to stay mobile in crowds and navigate maze-like environments far more effectively than mutants that cannot feel these bumps.