News Physics

Swimming bacteria remove resistance to flow

E. coli synchronization produces superfluid solution

E. coli illustrated

GOING WITH THE FLOW  E. coli, illustrated here, use their flagella to swim. A new study reveals that bacteria’s synchronized swimming can eliminate a liquid’s resistance to flow.

Nathan Devery/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

By Andrew Grant

- More than 2 years ago

Water flows best when it’s chock-full of synchronized-swimming bacteria.

By coaxing billions of E. coli to work together, French researchers got a small sample of a bacteria-laden solution to have no resistance to flow, or zero viscosity.