The diminutive bobtail squid, which feeds at night near the surface of the ocean, uses a luminescent bacterium to form a light organ that mimics moonlight and confuses predators. The same species of bacteria is also found in the pinecone fish and scientists have found that just a single gene was required for the bacterium to change from fish host to squid host, a discovery that could underpin new strategies to fight the germs that make people sick.
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UW-Madison University Communications 608/262-0067
Photo by: William Ormerod/courtesy Margaret McFall-Ngai
Date: 2004 File#: scan provided