ScienceTechyNews: Ejecting flagella could help microbes save energy during nutrient depletion

In favorable conditions, many bacteria propel themselves to food sources and other sites of interest using whip-like molecular propellers known as flagella. However, according to new research published on March 19 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, by Josie Ferreira and colleagues of Imperial College London, members of the bacterial class Gammaproteobacteria eject their flagella when nutrients are scarce.

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