{"690955":{"#nid":"690955","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Bacteria Can Learn and Form Memories Without a Brain","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EScientists have shown that bacteria can learn from past experiences, store memories across generations and adapt their behavior to changing environments all without a brain or nervous system. The work could shape how scientists think about bacterial infections and antibiotic treatment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIn a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/prxlife\/abstract\/10.1103\/5zbg-8vll\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Estudy published in PRX Life\u003C\/a\u003E, researchers tracked individual \u003Cem\u003EE. coli\u003C\/em\u003E cells as nutrient conditions shifted between rich and poor environments. Instead of responding the same way every time, the bacteria adjusted their growth based on patterns they had experienced before. Cells exposed to rapidly changing conditions were able to adapt better than cells raised in more stable environments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe findings suggest bacteria do more than just react to their surroundings. They appear to encode memories of past environments and use those memories to guide future behavior.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cFor a long time, people assumed bacterial growth was determined only by the environment the cell is currently experiencing,\u201d said \u003Cstrong\u003EJosiah Kratz\u003C\/strong\u003E, first author on the paper and a postdoctoral fellow in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cWhat we showed is that the history of past environments matters. The cells remember those experiences, and that memory changes how they behave.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKratz works in the lab of \u003Cstrong\u003EShiladitya Banerjee\u003C\/strong\u003E, Associate Professor in the School of Physics at Georgia Tech and a co-author on the paper. Kratz completed most of the work as a Ph.D. student in the joint \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cmu.edu\/compbio\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EComputational Biology training program\u003C\/a\u003E between Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cmu.edu\/news\/stories\/archives\/2026\/june\/bacteria-can-learn-and-form-memories-without-a-brain\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ERead the full story in the Carnegie Mellon newsroom.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EScientists have shown that bacteria can learn from past experiences, store memories across generations and adapt their behavior to changing environments all without a brain or nervous system. The work could shape how scientists think about bacterial infections and antibiotic treatment.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New research could shape how scientists think about bacterial infections and antibiotic treatment."}],"uid":"34528","created_gmt":"2026-06-26 19:45:45","changed_gmt":"2026-06-26 19:50:30","author":"jhunt7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-06-26T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-06-26T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680522":{"id":"680522","type":"image","title":"Josiah Kratz works at the intersection of physics and AI\/ML.","body":null,"created":"1782503208","gmt_created":"2026-06-26 19:46:48","changed":"1782503208","gmt_changed":"2026-06-26 19:46:48","alt":"Josiah Kratz works at the intersection of physics and AI\/ML.","file":{"fid":"264795","name":"josiah_kratz.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/26\/josiah_kratz.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/26\/josiah_kratz.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3839044,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/06\/26\/josiah_kratz.jpg?itok=mZaKgVjb"}}},"media_ids":["680522"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.zmescience.com\/science\/biology\/e-coli-remembers-stress\/","title":"Scientists Found That Bacteria Can Remember Stress Even Though They Have No Brains"},{"url":"https:\/\/sciences.gatech.edu\/news\/physics-brain-development-how-cells-pull-together-form-neural-tube","title":" The Physics of Brain Development: How Cells Pull Together to Form the Neural Tube"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBy: Caroline Sheedy, Carnegie Mellon University\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMedia Contact:\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022jess@cos.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJess Hunt-Ralston\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EDirector of Communications\u003Cbr\u003ECollege of Sciences at Georgia Tech\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jess@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}