Microbiology

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Mars Soil May Harm Living Organisms

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, could be better recognized by a new name: Tardiguardians of the Galaxy.

2 Mar 2026

Mitochondria Unveiled as the Cell’s Lipid Regulators

The cell’s powerhouse, known as mitochondria, appears to have the ability to control the quantity of lipid droplets in the cell. A mechanism designed for an entirely different purpose plays a key role here.

27 Feb 2026

Biofilms: The Unseen Factor in Human Space Travel

A global team of scientists has identified an often-overlooked biological system - biofilms - as a critical factor in the future of human space exploration.

26 Feb 2026

5,000-Year-Old Cave Bacterium Resists Antibiotics and Kills Pathogens

Psychrobacter SC65A.3, preserved in cave ice, harbors multidrug resistance genes and exhibits antimicrobial activity, offering insights into ancient resistomes.

26 Feb 2026

Engineering Bacteria for Targeted Cancer Destruction

A University of Waterloo-led research team is creating a unique cancer treatment technique that involves designing hungry bacteria to literally devour tumors from the inside out.

25 Feb 2026

Engineered E. coli Produces Key Plant Compound at Record Levels

Researchers engineered E. coli to produce orsellinic acid-derived meroterpenoids, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional plant extraction methods.

25 Feb 2026

Hutton Scientists Develop New Test for Fecal Contamination Which Cuts Time for Results From 24 Hours to Four

Scientists at The James Hutton Institute, Scotland’s pre-eminent interdisciplinary scientific research institute for the sustainable management of land, crop and nature resources, have developed a new test that reduces the time required to analyze water samples for indicators of fecal contamination from 24 hours to four.

24 Feb 2026

DS Smith Engage Bees to Montor Natural Habitats at Thirteen Packaging Facilities in France

DS Smith, an International Paper company, and a leading global supplier of fiber-based and sustainable packaging solutions, announces the first results of its partnership with Apilab, a world leader in bee biomonitoring.

24 Feb 2026

Ancient Ice Cave Bacteria Show Modern Antibiotic Resistance

Bacteria have evolved to adapt to all of Earth's most extreme conditions, from scorching heat to temperatures well below zero.

18 Feb 2026

Microbial Engineering Breakthrough Improves Supply of Promising Pharmaceuticals

Bioengineered E. coli bacteria can now produce a group of compounds with anticancer, anti-HIV, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activities.

18 Feb 2026

Chemical Tweaks Boost Peptide Stability and Antimicrobial Power

Antibiotic treatments are losing effectiveness against a range of common bacterial pathogens, including E. coli, K. pneumoniae, Salmonella and Acinetobacter, according to a warning issued by the World Health Organization last October.

16 Feb 2026

Eleven Genetic Regions Shape the Human Gut Microbiome

In two new studies on 28,000 individuals, researchers are able to show that genetic variants in 11 regions of the human genome have a clear influence on which bacteria are in the gut and what they do there.

16 Feb 2026

Molecular Hitchhikers Boost Bacterial Resistance Without Genes

A Dartmouth study finds that molecular hitchhikers living within bacteria can make their hosts extra resistant to medical treatment by corralling them into tightly packed groups.

11 Feb 2026

Study Reveals Planet-Wide Network of Interconnected Microbiomes

In a new study published in Cell, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the same geographical region.

10 Feb 2026

New CRISPR Tool Actively Reverses Antibiotic Resistance Spread

Antibiotic resistance (AR) has steadily accelerated in recent years to become a global health crisis. As deadly bacteria evolve new ways to elude drug treatments for a variety of illnesses, a growing number of "superbugs" have emerged, ramping up estimates of more than 10 million worldwide deaths per year by 2050.

9 Feb 2026