To Settle or to Swim: Studying Lifestyle Decisions in Bacteria - Sandhya Kasivisweswaran

Year
2025
Tags
microbiology
bacterial behavior
biofilms
Vibrio cholerae
infectious disease
antibiotic resistance
collective behavior
cellular decision-making
pathogen transmission
life-science research
Carnegie Mellon
Summary

This research explores how bacteria choose between free-swimming and biofilm lifestyles. Studying Vibrio cholerae reveals that bacterial populations hedge their bets—some cells disperse while others remain protected. This collective decision-making helps bacteria survive threats and plays a key role in infection and transmission.