Although invisible to the naked eye bacteria represent the unseen majority of biological diversity of this planet. For example, on an average human body bacteria outnumber the human cells by a ratio of 10 to one. Bacteria have an amazing ability to grow practically anywhere and their influence on the environment is vast and profound. My research aims to address fundamental questions about how bacteria sense and adapt to changes in their environment. Free living bacteria are faced with varying food supplies, shifting climates, toxic chemicals and the weapons of other bacteria or our immune cells. A new understanding of bacterial adaptation tactics may lead to novel approaches for battling pathogenic bacteria.