Microbiology

RSS

Living Bacterial Sensors Translate Environmental Signals into Electrical Data

Researchers at Rice University have engineered E. coli to act as living multiplexed sensors, allowing these genetically modified cells to detect and respond to multiple environmental toxins simultaneously by converting their biological responses into readable electrical signals.

30 Jul 2025

Bacterial Battle Strategies Involve Durable Amyloid Armor

Amyloids are perhaps best known as a key driver of Alzheimer's disease.

30 Jul 2025

Proteins as a Natural Weapon Against Predatory Bacteria

Amyloids are perhaps best recognized as a major cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

30 Jul 2025

Small Viral Protein ORF3a Reveals Big Role in SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity

In a recent study published in Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Chicago discovered that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses a small but powerful protein, ORF3a, to assemble the infectious particles, making it more efficient at spreading the disease.

29 Jul 2025

Gene Editing Offers New Hope to Stop Malaria Transmission

Mosquitoes kill more people each year than any other animal. In 2023, the blood-sucking insects infected a reported 263 million people with malaria, leading to nearly 600,000 deaths, 80% of which were children.

24 Jul 2025

Simple Models Reveal Soil’s Complex Microbial Conversations

Just like any living organism, the soil has its own metabolism. Plants, worms, insects, and most importantly, microorganisms in the soil, break down organic matter, consume and generate nutrients, and process other materials to give the soil a life of its own.

18 Jul 2025

Gut Bacteria Adapt to Local Diets Offering Hope for Personalized Probiotics

Probiotics are emerging tools used by neonatal intensive care units to promote healthy outcomes and prevent intestinal diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis.

18 Jul 2025

Study Reveals Surprising Redundancy in Staph Metabolism

In the ongoing battle against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, MSU researchers have made a discovery that could reshape how we target deadly pathogens like staph infections.

17 Jul 2025

Pathogenic Bacteria Choose Food Over Fear in the Human Gut

Bacteria that cause intestinal infections typically avoid a stinky chemical - one that can kill them at high enough concentrations - inside human intestines, but they may actually swim toward it when a hearty meal is the reward.

16 Jul 2025

Candida Auris Uses Distinct Defense Mechanism to Survive Antifungal Treatments

A groundbreaking study from Michigan State University (MSU), recently published in Nature Communications, has revealed how the multidrug-resistant superfungus Candida auris uniquely reconstructs its cell wall to survive antifungal treatments.

16 Jul 2025

Bacteria Show Unexpected Flexibility in Building Their Cell Walls

Closely related bacterial species use different strategies to build their cell walls, an international team of scientists led by Université de Montréal microbiology professor Yves Brun has found.

10 Jul 2025

Exercise Boosts Immune Response in Cancer Through Bacterial Metabolites

A new study from the University of Pittsburgh shows for the first time how exercise improves cancer outcomes and enhances response to immunotherapy in mice by reshaping the gut microbiome.

10 Jul 2025

New Protein Superfamily Redefines Bacterial Interactions

A newly identified bacterial protein, PopA, reveals complex interactions in bacteria, challenging existing models of membrane protein formation.

9 Jul 2025

Mediterranean Bacteria Offer New Weapon Against Mosquito-Borne Diseases

Mosquito-borne diseases kill more than 700,000 people every year, according to the World Health Organization, and the mosquitos that spread the disease are difficult to control.

8 Jul 2025

Scientists Discover Unique Bacterial Protein That Traps Membrane Lipids

Scientists have identified a new type of protein in bacteria that could change our understanding of how these organisms interact with their environments.

8 Jul 2025

New Framework for Plant Adaptation and Ecosystem Resilience

Understanding plant-microbiome dynamics offers insights into stress adaptation, crucial for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem resilience.

8 Jul 2025

New AI Tool Illuminates Bacterial Impact on Body Chemistry

Gut bacteria are well-known for playing an important role in a variety of health issues. However, their quantity and variety are immense, as are the ways in which they interact with the body’s chemistry and with one another.

7 Jul 2025

New Study Reveals Role of Root Bacteria in Rice Resilience

Despite being the primary food for more than half of the world's population, rice cultivation is very resource-intensive, necessitating vast amounts of water and artificial fertilizers.

7 Jul 2025

Uncovering the Gut Virome's Role in Health and Disease

The human gut is home to trillions of microbes, yet scientific understanding has largely focused on bacteria, leaving the virome—the community of viruses—relatively uncharted.

4 Jul 2025