MICRO-C-OMICS #19: Fear of Light
We rely on our senses to guide our ways, and so are bacteria. Similar to chemotaxis (i.e. bacteria adjusting their movement in response to chemicals ) bacteria can also adjust their movements in response to light, which is called phototaxis. While some bacteria prefer to move towards light (like cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. I mentioned in the previous comic) some bacteria move away from the light. This is called photophobic response, aka fear of light.
