Hebrew University researchers uncovered that bacteria retain a heritable 'memory' of environmental encounters across up to 20 generations, as revealed by Microcolony-seq technology. This discovery explains phenotypic heterogeneity within infections, contributing to antibiotic resistance and treatment failures by maintaining distinct microbial subpopulations with varied survival strategies.<BR><BR>The ability to capture these subpopulations offers novel targets for therapeutic interventions aimed at overcoming persistent infections and enhancing antimicrobial efficacy, marking a pivotal step in microbiology and infectious disease research.