A Social Life for Discerning Microbes

Microbes are not only extremely social but also extremely discerning about whom they socialize with. Recent research has uncovered some of the evolutionary explanations behind these feats of social sophistication in bacteria (Ackermann et al., 2008 and Diggle et al., 2007) and, most recently, has provided insights into the molecular mechanisms of discrimination in yeast (Smukalla et al., 2008).