Microbial study reveals sophisticated sensory response
Monday, August 1, 2011 - 16:31
in Biology & Nature
All biological sensory systems, including the five human senses, have something in common: when exposed to a sustained change in sensory input, the sense eventually acclimates and notices subsequent changes without comparing them with the initial condition. This autonomous tuning of perceptions, known as sensory adaptation, has been recognized for more than a century. A new study demonstrates that even microbes have sensory adaptation so precise that their behavior remains identical in ever-changing background conditions.