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Bacteria turn to chemistry

Relatively simple phenomena in physical, colloid and surface chemistry play a role in the growth of bacteria according to new experiments. The results also suggest that a process called the Hofmeister effect could influence the growth of cells (P Lo Nostro et al. 2005 Phys. Biol. 2 1). In the 1880s the German scientist Franz Hofmeister showed that some ions were more effective that others in causing proteins to precipitate.