Understanding and controlling how bacteria move through obstacle-filled environments has long been a challenge. A new model developed by a scientist at the Flatiron Institute can predict how bacteria will diffuse in crowded spaces, opening the door for strategies to control their spread.

The University of Cincinnati’s Jed Hartings and colleagues recently published research in the journal Scientific Reports detailing how automation and machine learning can aid clinicians treating patients with spreading depolarizations, sometimes referred to as “brain tsunamis.”