Dormant Microbes: Time To Revive Some Old Ideas

摘要

A number of researchers have already investigated, and demonstrated in detail, some of the propositions put forward in Slava Epstein's Essay 'Microbial awakenings' (Nature 457,1083; 2009). For instance, Epstein says "researchers could attempt to identify signalling compounds used by scouts, if they exist, and use these molecules to induce growth of dormant kin". This has been investigated by G. V. Mukamolova and colleagues (Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 95, 8916-8921; 1998).