Some bacteria including those that cause food spoilage, anthrax, and botulism take on a highly protective dormant structure called a spore. Developing better ways to kill these bacteria requires an understanding of germination, the process during which bacteria emerge from dormancy. In AC(DOI 10.1021/ac1003322), Yong-qing Li and colleagues at East Carolina University and the University of Connecticut Health Center report new findings on the germination of single Bacillus cereus spores obtained by combining phase contrast microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and optical tweezers.
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