Scientists from England's Newcastle University have discovered that bacteria have the ability to detect smells, according to a study by the university on Sunday. The team of scientists, led by Dr. Reindert Nijland, discovered that bacteria can detect certain types of smell- producing chemicals, including  ammonia   that is produced by other bacteria. Once they sense the smells from other kinds of bacteria, the bacteria will gather together to form a colony   and form a layer of slime   in order to force the competitors out of their area. The response decreases as the distance between the two bacterial colonies increases. That slime, also known as biofilm, is one of the primary causes of infection on many medical implants . Biofilms also slow down ships and are believed to cost the marine industry millions of dollars annually. However, they can also be used to clean up spilled oil floating on the sea, as they grow strong on it. "This is the first evidence of a bacterial 'nose'able to detect potential competitors," Dr. Nijland said in the August 15 statement, which confirms that bacteria possess qualities similar to four of the five senses that humans enjoy (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell), the others being touch, taste, and sight. "The fact that bacteria formed slime when exposed to ammonia has important significance for understanding how biofilms are formed and how we might be able to use them to our advantage," he added. Their findings were published in Sunday's edition of biotechnology journal, and could change the way scientists look at how each of the senses developed over time. "It was thought for a long time that smell existed only in complex living creatures," Dr. Nijland said. "Now we see that bacteria are able to do the same, so the indication is that the ability may have developed even earlier." We learn from the text that biofilms   _  .
may cause oil to spill can be used to benefit humans are the major causes of infection are more likely to be found on ships