OFF cell (basal secretion)
ON cell (quorum-activated)
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Bacteria don't just react to their own environment — colonies coordinate collective behaviour, including biofilm gene expression, using a chemical head-count called quorum sensing. Each cell continuously leaks a small diffusible autoinducer molecule; as the population grows and packs closer together, the pooled concentration rises until it crosses a receptor-binding threshold, and cells collectively flip into an induced state that secretes autoinducer even faster. This simulator renders that population-density switch in 3D, in the spirit of the LuxI/LuxR bioluminescence circuit of Vibrio fischeri: tune the cell density, the medium's dilution rate, the receptor threshold and the strength of the induced feedback, and watch a dim population of independent cells either stay dark forever or collectively ignite once true quorum is reached.