Colin Dale, University of Utah (IMAGE) University of Utah Caption University of Utah biologist Colin Dale swabs a petri dish containing a bacterial culture. Dale and colleagues discovered a new bacterium isolated from the infected wound of an Indiana man who impaled his hand on a tree branch. They also found that the new bacterial strain, named HS, was related to a group of bacteria that live inside insects in mutually beneficial symbiotic relationships. The discovery solved an old mystery by showing that insects domesticate bacteria by picking them up from plants or animals in their environment, not from other insects. Credit Lee J. Siegel, University of Utah Usage Restrictions None 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.