Latest Vibrio fischeri Stories

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A new study on glowing bacteria found within Hawaiian bobtail squid could change the way scientists look at symbiotic microorganisms. The study, which was recently published in the journal mBio, showed the Vibrio fischeri bacteria in the squid’s light organ not only camouflage the animal at night – the bacteria also influence a gene that entrains, or synchronizes, the cephalopod’s circadian rhythms. "To our knowledge, this is...

In deep ocean waters, it's sometimes difficult to hide from predators. That's why so many sea creatures have evolved extraordinary methods of disguise.Cephalopods, such as octopus, squid and cuttlefish, are big on camouflage, by day or night. In fact, the Hawaiian bobtail squid has several means of stealthy self- preservation."During the day, if they are disturbed from the sand, they will come out, sit on the surface with a sand coat on them, trying to be invisible," says Margaret...

The discovery of how bacteria communicate may lead to new types of antibiotics and ways of improving actions of good bacteriaBonnie Bassler spends her days listening to bacteria talk to one another, and what she has overheard may surprise you.It turns out that these tiny, single-celled organisms are taking roll call. Each whispered conversation is an attempt to count how many of their own kind are present before they try to mount an attack on their host organism, which might very well be your...

U.S. scientists have determined certain squids can detect light through a symbiotic organ, not just through their eyes. University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers said the light-emitting organ some squids use in camouflaging themselves to avoid being seen by predators also detects light. That, the scientists said, is a finding that might lead to insights into the mechanisms of controlling and perceiving light. Professor Margaret McFall-Ngai, who led the study, said the light organ, which...