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Researchers determine a novel antiviral technique to combat bacteria

Bacteria use a wide range of defense strategies to combat viral infection, and some of these systems have resulted in game-changing technologies like CRISPR-based gene editing.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 15 Aug 2022

Researchers examine ancient microbes to find life beyond earth

Researchers have reproduced what life was like for some of the oldest species on Earth using light-capturing proteins found in living microorganisms. These initiatives may enable everyone to spot life in distant worlds, whose atmospheres mirror the pre-oxygen planet more closely.

1 Jul 2022

Origin of chromatin in ancient microbes happened 1–2 billion years ago, study reveals

Nature’s storage solution originally emerged in ancient microbes living on Earth around one and two billion years ago, according to researchers at the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG).

10 Jun 2022

Researchers determine the ethical difficulties in microbiome research

A human rights activist and a team of anthropologists and human biologists are scrutinizing how Indigenous peoples are involved in microbiome research.

23 May 2022

New software device makes genetic information analysis simpler

Researchers from Texas Biomedical Research Institute and Tulane University have created a new software device that makes analyzing genetic data about a host and its microbiome at the very same time simpler, quicker, and less expensive.

10 May 2022

Enzymes found in capybara gut can promote the application of agroindustrial waste

One option to reduce dependence on oil and other fossil fuels is to transform agroindustrial waste into molecules of interest to society, like biofuels and biochemicals.

10 May 2022

Researchers may have identified a key intermediate in the transition from prokaryotes to eukaryotes

All modern organisms fall into two classes, eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Eukaryotes (from the Greek meaning "true kernel") have a cell nucleus that harbors most of the cell's genetic information and includes organisms such as humans, plants and fungi.

20 Apr 2022

Researchers identify universal patterns in the chemistry of life

The only references we have for "life" are the forms we know on Earth. Astrobiologists suspect that the search for alien life, and even for the origins of life on Earth, may require a broader scope.

1 Mar 2022

Scientists study the distant connection between Archaea and Bacteria

Researchers have discovered more evidence to support the idea that the two primary domains of life, Archaea and Bacteria, are detached by a long phylogenetic tree branch.

24 Feb 2022

New study deepens the understanding of microbial sulfur metabolism

The metabolism of sulfur compounds is among the most important microbial processes sustaining life in many anoxic environments where oxygen is not present.

18 Feb 2022

Scientists uncover novel information about the tiny propellers used by archaea

Archaea, like bacteria, may be found in a wide range of environments, including inside human bodies, although they are not known to cause illness.

From University of Exeter 14 Feb 2022

Study provides insight into the mechanism of action of DNA topoisomerase VI at the molecular level

The enzyme DNA topoisomerase VI (topo VI) plays a vital role in eliminating chromosome tangles that arise in the cell nucleus of plants.

4 Feb 2022

Microorganisms “breathe” rocks through extracellular electron transfer, says study

Microbes may be tiny, yet they have a significant influence on the Earth’s habitability.

4 Feb 2022

Scientists develop low-cost metagenome sequencing technique for microbiome research

A research team headed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, QIBEBT developed a low-cost metagenome sequencing technology.

31 Jan 2022

Study says plant microbiome influences health, survival, and fitness

The so-called plant microbiome—the microorganisms in a plant and its immediate environment—impacts plant health, survival, and fitness.

11 Jan 2022

Researchers cultivate an archaeon that breaks down oil all by itself

Microbes are capable of converting oil into natural gas, i.e., methane.

From The Max Planck Institute 23 Dec 2021

New program can help to correctly interpret the genetic code of newly sequenced organisms

Yekaterina "Kate" Shulgina was a first year student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, looking for a short computational biology project so she could check the requirement off her program in systems biology. She wondered how genetic code, once thought to be universal, could evolve and change.

10 Nov 2021

Researchers uncover a vital step in the conversion process of biomass to methane

Microbial production of methane from organic material is an essential process in the global carbon cycle and an important source of renewable energy. This natural process is based on a cooperative interaction between different types of microorganisms: the fermenting bacteria and the methane-producing archaea.

4 Oct 2021

Study explores the efficiency of CasMINI, an engineered CRISPR-Cas system

A compact CRISPR-Cas system, known as CasMINI, can be employed for gene-therapy and cell-engineering applications as it is easier to deliver into cells.

7 Sep 2021

Miniature CRISPR-Cas system expands applicability and implications further

For the first time, Stanford researchers have miniaturized CRISPR for mammalian gene editing, which magnifies the scope of CRISPR technology.

3 Sep 2021