Swirling Bacteria Mimic Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night'
Published:14 Dec.2021 Source:Rice University
Scientists discovered a way to transform millions of predatory bacteria into swirling flash mobs reminiscent of painter Vincent Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" as the unexpected result of experiments on a genetic circuit the creatures use to discern friend from foe.
Myxococcus xanthus has been studied for decades as a model system for social cooperation and bacterial gene regulation. While studying M. xanthus mutants that overexpress two proteins the cells use to recognize close relatives, researchers from Rice University and the University of Wyoming discovered a previously unreported behavior: self-organization into circles a millimeter or more in diameter.