Squares, triangles, circles: regardless of their form, bacteria can figure out where to split

Squares, triangles, circles: regardless of their form, bacteria can figure out where to split

The E.coli bacterium, a very common resident of people’s intestines, is shaped as a tiny rod about 3 micrometers long. For the first time, scientists from the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at Delft University have found a way to use nanotechnology to grow living E.coli bacteria into very different shapes: squares, triangles, circles, and even as letters spelling out ‘TU Delft’. They also managed to grow supersized E.coli with a volume thirty times larger than normal. These living oddly-shaped bacteria allow studies of the internal distribution of proteins and DNA in entirely new ways. [..] http://www.tudelft.nl/en/current/latest-news/article/detail/vierkant-driehoek-cirkel-ongeacht-hun-vorm-weten-bacterien-waar-ze-moeten-delen-met-een-bee/