In the early 1990s, Ben-Jacob's group discovered two pattern-forming bacteria species —the Paenibacillus dendritiformis and the Paenibacillus vortex (see also Paenibacillus). Combining microbiological experiments with physical principles of self-organization and advanced modeling, Ben-Jacob advanced the recognition that bacteria are smart cooperative organisms that employ advanced communication to lead intricate social lives in large and complex colonies. Sophisticated chemical communication allows bacteria to rapidly adapt to changes in the environment, distribute tasks, "learn from experience", make decisions and prepare for the future. Ben-Jacob put forward the idea of bacterial social intelligence and his group devised a social IQ score of bacteria as a comparative genomic tool to assess the genome potential of bacteria to conduct successful cooperative and adaptable behaviors, or social behaviors, in complex environments.