http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- Nearly all motile bacteria can sense and respond to their surroundings—finding food, avoiding poisons, and targeting cells to infect, for example—through a process called chemotaxis. This allows the bacteria to move towards chemicals they are attracted to, and away from ones that repel them. Because chemotaxis plays a critical role in the first steps of bacterial infection, a better understanding of the process could pave the way for the development of new, more effective antibiotics. Researchers at Caltech are helping to reveal just how chemotaxis works. http://phys.org/news249727305.html Biology Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:42:18 EST news249727305