Running with the pack (VIDEO)
Caption
Rod-shaped bacterial cells of the species Myxococcus xanthus cooperate by forming packs to hunt for food and build structures called fruiting bodies, which aid in survival. When two such swarms encounter each other, the resulting pileup of cells creates sites, called topological defects, at which rods can climb on top of each other to construct the next layer of the fruiting body. The colors represent the various swarms of cells.
Credit
Katherine Copenhagen, Princeton University
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Video credit: Katherine Copenhagen, Princeton University
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