Spontaneous switching between active and inactive states in bacterial chemosensory arrays is shown to operate near a critical point. Through biologically controlled disorder, cells balance high signal gain with fast response.
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Yuan, J. Bacterial sensors poised at criticality. Nat. Phys. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-025-03160-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-025-03160-9
