<I>Bacillus subtilis</I> Colony Superimposed on an Electron Microscope Image of the Biofilm Surface (IMAGE)

Harvard University

<I>Bacillus subtilis</I> Colony Superimposed on an Electron Microscope Image of the Biofilm Surface

Caption

Slimy bacterial coatings known as biofilms (Bacillus subtilis colony superimposed at center) exhibit an unmatched ability to repel a wide range of liquids and even vapors. An electron microscope image shows the biofilm surface's resilient meshwork made from proteins and polysaccharides and assembled into a multiscale, hierarchical structure.

Credit

Courtesy of the laboratory of Joanna Aizenberg, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

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