Why do single cells "talk" to organize a coup?

The TL;DR:

• The Problem: A single bacterium trying to infect a host is like one person trying to pull off a bank heist—it’s an immediate failure.

• The Mechanism: Bacteria "broadcast" chemical signals into their environment; once the signal concentration reaches a certain "signal strength" (quorum), the entire population changes its behavior simultaneously.

• The Takeaway: This coordination allows them to overwhelm host defenses and form massive, persistent biofilms that are incredibly hard to treat.