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News From the Field

Genetic Circuit Allows Both Individual Freedom, Collective Good


April 19, 2013

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An investigation of the ways bacteria engage in collective decision-making has led researchers at Rice University, Tel Aviv University and Harvard Medical School to suggest new principles for collective decisions that allow both random behavior by individuals and nonrandom outcomes for the population as a whole. The research suggests that the principles governing bacterial decisions could be relevant for the study of cancer tumorigenesis and collective decision-making by humans.Full Story

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Rice University

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