“Most bacteria in nature prefer to live this way,” explains Bakaletz. “Biofilms are sophisticated communal structures, with water channels, communication systems and even labour division ...

Bacterial cells growing in biofilms are physiologically distinct from free-swimming planktonic cells. For example, differences have been shown in motility, polysaccharide production, antibiotic ...

No one likes to be alone. Even bacteria have figured out how to stick together – in an intricate structure called a biofilm. No one likes to be alone. Even bacteria have figured out how to stick ...

Biofilms allow bacteria and other pathogens to survive ... In terms of what we can copy from nature, the biological molecules and surface modification approaches face high costs, limited lifespan ...

"Biofilms are like fortresses for bacteria," said Jingzhe Guo ... inhibits biofilm formation in Escherichia coli K-12, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54501-w ...

More information: Sanika Vaidya et al, Bacteria use exogenous peptidoglycan as a danger signal to trigger biofilm formation, Nature Microbiology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01886-5 ...

In contrast to the free-living, or planktonic, bacteria commonly studied in the lab, most prokaryotes in nature settle down in complex communities, often consisting of several interacting species.

Bacterial Space Biofilms (1st flight): Launched on November, 2019 (NG-12). Returned to Earth on January 2020 (SpaceX-19) Fungal Space Biofilms (2nd flight): Launched on February, 2022 (NG-17).

New laser technology textures surfaces to mimic shark skin’s antimicrobial properties, offering a solution to improve meat ...

When bacteria make biofilms, they can become very hard to kill, even with effective antibiotics. Credit: Scharvik/iStock/Getty Images About 23,000 Americans and 25,000 Europeans die each year from ...

Researchers have identified many species of bacteria that interrelate gene regulation with their neighbors to control a variety of processes, including symbiosis, virulence, antibiotic resistance, and ...