Scientists perhaps thought they knew all there was to know about bacteria. However, they have just found that bacteria have a mechanism that can store and pass on memories to future generations. The research was on the E. coli bacterium. This is one of the most well-studied organisms. Researchers wrote about how bacteria could form memories even though they lack a brain. They said bacteria can gather information from their environment, "and if they have encountered that environment frequently, they can store it and quickly access it later for their benefit".

Bacterial memory is different from human memory. It is more like our muscle memory. Our muscles have a sense of what to do next from having done it many times before. The researchers say bacterial memory is because of their levels of iron. A researcher said: "Early life was utilizing iron for a lot of cellular processes. Iron is…critical…in the evolution of life. It makes sense that cells would utilize it." He added that his research could help to fight bacterial diseases. He said: "The more we know about bacterial behaviour, the easier it is to combat them."