Bacteria use quorum sensing via standardized molecules to communicate, both intra and inter species. New medicine could target this communication to shut down pathogenicity.

2012-06-24: The Social Lives of Microbes

It used to be assumed that bacteria lived relatively independent unicellular lives, without the cooperative behaviors that have provoked so much interest in mammals, birds, and insects. However, research has completely overturned this idea, showing that microbes indulge in a variety of social behaviors involving complex systems of cooperation, communication, and synchronization. Work in this area has already provided some elegant experimental tests of social evolutionary theory, demonstrating the importance of factors such as relatedness, kin discrimination, competition between relatives, and enforcement of cooperation.

2021-07-09: Social Mitochondria

Mitochondria divide up tasks, form groups, synchronize activities and respond to both their environment and each other. The sociability of mitochondria facilitates the cooperation of cells, which in turn allows the formation of organs that depend on one another and the creation of complex organisms. The social nature of animals is an extension of the sociality seen at lower rungs of the ladder. Network approaches could yield clues about new treatments, such as improving mitochondrial communication. Part of what makes exercise healthy is that it promotes communication between mitochondria. “It makes them more social”

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