I love three things about this story on the #physics of bacteria in mucus. The first is that we don't actually know whether these cable-like structures are GOOD for the bacteria (and BAD for their host) or vice versa. The second is that finding out could help CF patients.

And the third?

"The [mucus] samples were provided by colleagues at MIT and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine."

Nothing but the most erudite mucus for this research!

https://physicsworld.com/a/bacterial-cables-form-a-living-gel-in-mucus/