Changing leafcutter ants' food reshapes their microbial gardens, scientists find

A colony of leafcutter ants is home to more than just one species. Each year, studies reveal new layers of complexity in ...
EurekAlert!

After more than 300 years of study, researchers developed a new way to understand bacteria

In labs, bacterial colonies usually grow in streaks in petri dishes, but until now no one has known how the colonies organize themselves in more realistic three-dimensional (3-D) environments, such as ...
Phys.org

Building on more than 300 years of study, researchers develop a new way to understand bacterial growth

In labs, bacterial colonies usually grow in streaks in petri dishes, but until now no one has known how the colonies organize themselves in more realistic three-dimensional (3D) environments, such as ...
The Economist

Colonies of bacteria could save the Pentagon billions

PLAQUE ON TEETH, slime on stones, gunge around taps and showers. Biofilms—slimy, durable colonies of bacteria—are everywhere. Much of the research into them focuses on the hard-to-treat infections ...
The Scientist

Bacteria’s Stress Strategy: Slow Down to Avoid the Crowd

Under ideal conditions, bacterial cell proliferation is exponential, transforming an empty Petri dish into a lush “lawn” of growth. However, as a bacterial colony develops, “growing pains” are ...
News Medical

Machine learning-mediated decoder based on patterns created by bacterial colonies

From a box of Cracker Jack to The Da Vinci Code, everybody enjoys deciphering secret messages. But biomedical engineers at Duke University have taken the decoder ring to place it's never been ...