Even Bacteria Can Cooperate!

In the December 2010 issue of Science, microbiologists Derek Lovley and Zarath Summers report a discovery of new cooperative behavior in anerobic bacteria, called "interspecies electron transfer."  By sharing electrons, two microbes can consume food that neither of them can use on their own, working together in order to survive and grow.   These microoganisms are then able to adapt to novel conditions, evolving to to function more effectively in a new, challenging envrionment.  Too bad some larger organisms haven't learned the lesson of sharing resources.