Word: flagella
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1970-1979
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Biochemists Robert M. Macnab and Daniel Koshland were investigating a characteristic that S. typhimurium shares with many other bacteria: it responds strongly to changes in external stimuli. If, for instance, a hostile substance is introduced into its surroundings, the bacterium uses its flagella -long, hairlike appendages-to swim away from it. But if something attractive is placed near by-say, the sugar, glucose-it will move toward it. How the bacterium chooses its direction is still not fully understood, but it apparently makes its way on a trial-and-error basis. Tumbling to and fro, it senses that taking certain...