Bacteria News and Research

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Phages Communicate Across Species to Control Infection Decisions

Recent research reveals that bacteriophages can communicate across species, influencing infection dynamics and microbial ecosystems through arbitrium peptides.

22 Apr 2026

Is Fast Food Harming the Gut Health of Seagulls? We Could be About to Find Out

A brand new study looking at the impact of fast food on the gut health of seagulls has just won funding from the Royal Society.

22 Apr 2026

Study Reveals How Neurons Sense Bacterial Signals in Nematodes

Neural interaction with bacteria, e.g. in the gut microbiome, has important effects on brains of animals from worms to people.

21 Apr 2026

Single-Molecule Imaging Reveals How Anabaena Maintains Its Rectangular Shape

Photosynthetic bacteria helped shape Planet Earth. Among them are cyanobacteria that produced the oxygen in our atmosphere and made complex life possible, captivating scientists for decades. Now, researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) report a surprising new discovery-a system thought to separate DNA has developed to sculpt the shape of the cell in cyanobacteria instead. The results, published in Science, shed light on how protein systems evolve and how multicellularity emerged in this type of ecologically essential bacteria.

17 Apr 2026

Researchers Uncover How the Immune System Teaches the Brain to Avoid Toxins

Researchers from the University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn uncover vital mechanism for survival.

17 Apr 2026

How Microbes Use Opposing Signals To Catch Moving Nutrients

Microbial chemotaxis is reshaped by integrating fast and slow nutrient signals, allowing for improved interception of moving sources in complex environments.

15 Apr 2026

Living Together May Drive Exchange of Gut Microbes

Living with friends may quietly be altering your gut bacteria - according to a new study from the University of East Anglia.

13 Apr 2026

Early Epigenetic Changes and Gut Microbiome Interact to Shape Neurodevelopment

The gut microbiome and epigenetics-molecular switches that turn genes on or off-are intertwined, and both contribute to neurodevelopment, finds a study publishing April 10 in the Cell Press journal Cell Press Blue.

13 Apr 2026

Natural Skincare Hero Madecassic Acid Found to Combat Antibiotic Resistance

Fans of Korean skincare may be familiar with 'hero ingredient' Madecassic acid for its skin-soothing properties, but researchers at the University of Kent have revealed its greater potential for use in the battle against antibiotic resistance.

11 Apr 2026

Chemical Strategy Unlocks Pollutant Degradation Potential in Native Soil Bacteria

Aromatic compounds, such as dioxins and benzene, are major soil pollutants. Their high chemical stability makes them resistant to microbial and chemical degradation, leading to toxic accumulation in the soil.

10 Apr 2026

Vibrio cholerae Captures External DNA to Boost Its Antiviral Defenses

Like most bacteria, Vibrio cholerae lives under constant attack from viruses. To survive, bacteria equip themselves with antiviral immune systems.

10 Apr 2026

Study Reveals How Bacteria Protect Themselves During Cell Cleavage

Bacteria reproduce by dividing into two: they form a wall, or septum, between the two future cells while remodeling the old cell walls so the so-called "daughter" cells can separate without bursting.

10 Apr 2026

Study Reveals Microbiota Control of Intestinal Cell Plasticity

A research team led by scientists from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo, Brazil, has made significant progress in understanding the relationship between gut microbiota and intestinal cells.

8 Apr 2026

Novel ENDOtollins Block Harmful Inflammation While Preserving Infection Response

Scripps Research scientists have developed a new class of drug compounds that reduce harmful inflammation while leaving the body's ability to fight infections intact-a long-sought goal in treating autoimmune diseases.

7 Apr 2026

How Bacterial Enzymes Use Ratchet Mechanisms to Break Down Collagen

Collagen is an important protein that helps build the tissues of humans and animals. It is very strong because it is made of three protein strands twisted tightly together like a rope. Because of this sturdy structure, ordinary protein-cutting enzymes usually cannot break it down.

6 Apr 2026

Defining Tumor Microbiota for Improved Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Recent research shows that tumors in different organs host microbial communities capable of influencing cancer biology, immune responses, and the effectiveness of therapies, highlighting the need to standardize methods for studying intratumoral microbes.

3 Apr 2026

Genomic Study Reveals How Bacterial ‘Armor’ Reduces Cholera Disease Severity

Cholera-causing bacteria are locked in an evolutionary arms race with a viral nemesis, according to a new genomic study.

2 Apr 2026

Phage Eavesdropping Alters Lysis and Lysogeny Decisions Incorrectly

Viruses can "eavesdrop" on each other using chemical signals – but it can backfire for the eavesdropper, new research shows.

1 Apr 2026

Antibiotic Degrading Bacteria Enhance Microbial Stability and Ecosystem Resilience

By comparing natural microbial adaptation with targeted bioaugmentation using an antibiotic-degrading strain, the study reveals how biodegradation capacity fundamentally reshapes microbial succession, stability, and resilience under sustained antibiotic exposure.

1 Apr 2026

Study Reveals How STING Protein Migrates to Trigger Immune Responses

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified how the quintessential immune protein known as stimulator of interferon genes (STING) migrates from one cellular organelle to another, a necessary step in its activation.

27 Mar 2026