AskNature

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Created by Emily Harrington of eh illustration, http://www.ehillustration.com. This work shall be and remain at all times the shared property of Emily Harrington and the Biomimicry 3.8 Institute, and Emily Harrington grants to the Biomimicry 3.8 Institute a non-terminating, nonexclusive, non-limiting right to use the materials for educational purposes. Any use by outside parties requires permission from Emily Harrington and can be requested from [email protected] or through the Biomimicry 3.8 Institute.

Membrane-bound receptor proteins detect the presence of nutrients (A), triggering the release of a signal molecule (B), that reacts with proteins associated with the bacterias flagellum (C), causing a change in its direction of rotation (D), which propels the organism towards increasing concentrations of nutrients.