Is E. coli good at chemotaxis?

TL;DR

Recent research indicates that E. coli bacteria utilize only a limited portion of available sensory information for chemotaxis, challenging previous assumptions about their sensing efficiency and near-physical sensing limits.

Contribution

This paper discusses new findings showing E. coli's limited use of sensory information, contrasting with classical models and exploring implications across physics and biology.

Findings

E. coli uses only a small fraction of sensory information

Challenges the view that bacterial chemotaxis operates near physical limits

Provides a conceptual discussion linking biology with physics and mythology

Abstract

Bacteria seem masters of chemotaxis, yet recent work suggests otherwise. Henry Mattingly and colleagues (Nature Physics, 2026) argue that Escherichia coli uses only a small fraction of the sensory information available at its surface, challenging the long-held view that bacterial chemotaxis operates near physical sensing limits. This article offers a brief conceptual discussion of their findings, placing them in the context of classical chemotaxis models, robustness to noise, and broader perspectives drawn from physics, biology, and Greek mythology.