Refers to the shape, structure, form and size of a bacterial cell. Here it is important for the function and behavior of a bacterial cell, as it affects how they grow, reproduce, obtain nutrients, and move.

Biofilm formation is the process by which microorganisms attach to a surface and create a community. Here, bacterial cell is transition from planktonic (free-swimming) to the biofilm mode of growth, using innovative microfluidic techniques.

Mutation rate is defined as the frequency of new mutations occurring in a single gene of bacteria over time. Here, mutation rates influence bacterial responses to challenges, including host immune defenses and antibiotic treatments.

The dilution rate represents the flow of medium per unit of time over the volume of culture in the bioreactor. Here, it is a key controlling factor that determines the concentration of nutrients in the culture medium.

Synthetic promoters act as genetic switches, allowing precise manipulation of bacterial behavior through of control gene expression. Here, the authors used synthetic promoters to build a population-control circuit in bacteria, enabling precise regulation of cell density through quorum sensing mechanisms.

The variability in observable characteristics among individual bacterial cells that contribute to the overall regulation and behavior of the bacterial population.

A lysis buffer is a solution used to break open bacterial cells and release their contents, particularly for extracting genetic material for various laboratory analyses. Here, they use it to get rid of all cells within the segment.

In a chemostat, fresh medium periodically replaces a portion of the bacterial culture, removing some bacteria. However, if biofilms develop, they protect bacteria from washout, leading to domination of the culture by biofilm-derived bacteria over time.

Sustained oscillations is a phenomenon where bacterial populations exhibit repetitive fluctuations in their growth rate over time. Understanding sustained oscillations in bacterial populations helps authors/researchers to connect morphology of individual cells to population-level changes.

AKA E. Coli. A species of bacteria that is commonly used in research due to its well-studied genetics and ease of cultivation.

Synthetic circuit is engineered genetic circuits to manipulate bacterial populations. These circuits enable cells to perform specific functions, sense their environment, regulate gene expression, and coordinate with other cells.

The authors examine a sample of bacteria cells and determine individual bacterial cells within the microchemostat using optical microscopy in figure 1. The authors display six microchemostats that operate in parallel on a single chip like a coin of 18 mm in diameter. Various inputs have been loaded with food dyes to visualize channels and sub-elements of the microchemostats. Authors demonstrate a single microchemostat and its main components. By this process authors track cell growth, density, and morphological changes over extended periods. Therefore, Optical Microscopy allows authors to observe individual cells and their responses to the synthetic circuit, shedding light on cellular behavior and interactions.

Refers to a large-scale or bulk experiment conducted to study the long-term dynamics of bacterial populations that are undergoing programmed population control in a microchemostat.

A peristaltic pump can be used to transfer liquids, such as nutrients, media, or other fluids into the bioreactor vessel without exposing the fluid to the pump components. This approach is essential for preserving a sterile and controlled environment, which is crucial for the biological processes taking place within the bioreactor.

Situ means in its original place.

The offspring or descendants produced by bacterial cells through the process of reproduction.

A microbial biofilm is a complex and organized community of bacteria that adhere to a surface and are surrounded by a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances.

A process of cell–cell communication that allows bacteria to share information about cell density and adjust gene expression accordingly.

Bacterial growth medium which provides the necessary nutrients for the cultivation of bacteria in laboratory conditions, facilitating their growth and enabling researchers to conduct experiments.

Chemostats are continuously operated bioreactors where growing cells reach a steady state condition at which specific growth rate, as well as biomass, substrate and the product concentrations remain constant.

A microfluidic bioreactor is a device designed for the cultivation and study of bacteria cells in a controlled and tiny fluidic environment. It allows researchers to studying cellular behavior in conditions that closely mimic the natural environment.