Germinated cells of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis (pink)

Germinated cells of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis (pink) line up close to a hypha (blue), which supplies them with water and nutrients. Spatially remote spores (green) do not receive nutrients from the hypha and do not germinate. This image was taken with the NanoSIMS, a secondary ion mass spectrometry system. ©UFZ

Germinated cells of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis (pink)