Tiny predators in the soil can literally sniff out their prey: soil bacteria, which communicate with each other using scent. A team of researchers from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) has discovered that these predators – called protists – ‘eavesdrop’ on the bacteria’s communication. It’s a discovery that opens up perspectives for agriculture. The results are available online this month in The ISME Journal, from the publishers of Nature.