CELL 3 (IMAGE) Rice University Caption Rice University postdoctoral researcher Sara Molinari puts an image of differentiating E. coli bacteria on the screen. Molinari is lead author of a new paper that describes a method to prompt bacteria to genetically differentiate as they divide. The technique could lead to the ability to create diverse communities of microbes that communicate with each other to perform programmed tasks. Credit Jeff Fitlow/Rice University Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.