Bacteria in polymers form cables that grow into living gels

Bacteria in polymers form cables that grow into living gels.

Finding could be particularly important to the study and treatment of diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

Discovery could also have implications in studies of polymer-secreting conglomerations of bacteria known as biofilms.

The bacteria could be clumping together to form this network of living gel in an effort to make themselves larger.

Alternately, cable formation could actually be harmful to the bacteria.

"Now that we have found this phenomenon, we can frame these new questions and design further experiments to test our suspicions".