Biologists
studying communities of bacteria have discovered that these so-called simple
organisms feature a robust capacity for memory. Using light, researchers were
able to encode complex memory patterns and visualize cells with memory. The
discovery reveals surprising parallels between low-level single-celled
organisms and sophisticated neurons that process memory in the human brain. The
finding also provides a starting path for scientists to one day design basic
computing systems with living organisms such as bacteria.
The
ability to encode memory in bacterial communities, the researchers say, could
enable future biological computation through the imprinting of complex spatial
memory patterns in biofilms.
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Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle, Pharmaceutical Microbiology Resources (http://www.pharmamicroresources.com/)
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