Researchers from Cornell University have determined how bacteria sense changes in their environment.

The study, published in the May issue of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, shows that receptors on the surface of bacteria are arranged in a cooperative lattice. This arrangement allows them to amplify the detection of very minute changes in their environment.

The researchers propose that rows of receptors are linked by enzymes. As the receptors detect something in the environment, linked receptors will rearrange themselves in order to amplify the signal. Enzymes then become activated that will allow the bacteria to move closer to or away from the source.

Read about this study: Researchers Discover How Bacteria Sense Their Environments (Science Daily)