Bacteria build citadels that inspire architects and save the environment. In nature, bacteria live in complex community structures known as biofilms. Living in biofilms provide significant benefits to bacteria. For example, biofilms protect their residents from environmental assaults, and improve their attachment to many different surfaces. However, biofilms play an important role in resistance to antibiotics (1, 2). The resident bacteria in a biofilm can be up to 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics than free-living bacteria (1). The mechanisms behind this resistance are still poorly understood. Bacterial biofilms can have deadly effects, such as those which are associated with…
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The brain gut connection has never been clearer. We have known for a long long time that we are covered in bacteria inside and out, to the count of 10 – 100 trillion indigenous microbial cells living in symbiosis. Until recently however, the actual identity of the species of bacteria that inhabit us was unknown. With the advent of advanced molecular biology techniques, like 16S RNA sequencing (at a much lower cost and very high speeds), we now know not only what lives in and on us, but also the differences between different body sites, different individuals, and also between…