<i>M. xanthus</i> Waves (1 of 2) (IMAGE) Rice University Caption Myxococcus xanthus is a predatory bacterium that exhibits various collective behaviors throughout its lifecycle. At left, M. xanthus cells self-organize into traveling waves when preying upon E. coli. At right, in areas without prey, M. xanthus self-organizes into haystack-shaped spore-filled structures. Credit Z. Vaksman, H. Kaplan/UT Medical School at Houston Usage Restrictions Credit required License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.