Microbes

  1. Health & Medicine

    Louis Pasteur’s devotion to truth transformed what we know about health and disease

    Two centuries after his birth, Louis Pasteur's work on pasteurization, germ theory and vaccines is as relevant as ever.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Here’s how mysterious last-resort antibiotics kill bacteria

    Scientists are finally getting a grip on how a class of last-resort antibiotics works — the drugs kill bacteria by crystallizing their membranes.

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  3. Microbes

    Ancient bacteria could persist beneath Mars’ surface

    Radiation-tolerant microbes might be able to survive beneath Mars’ surface for hundreds of millions of years, a new study suggests.

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  4. Microbes

    How fungi make potent toxins that can contaminate food

    Genetically engineering Aspergillus fungi to delete certain proteins stops the production of mycotoxins that can be dangerous to human health.

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  5. Microbes

    How dormant bacteria spores sense when it’s time to come back to life

    Bacterial cells shut down and become spores to survive harsh environments. An internal countdown signals when it’s safe for bacteria to revive.

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  6. Microbes

    Meet the fungal friends and foes that surround us

    Keith Seifert’s book The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi explores how microfungi shape our world.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Tiny amoebas move faster when carrying cargo than without

    A new study of the carrying capacity of single-celled amoebas may help scientists develop mini “trucks” to precisely target disease in the human body.

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  8. Microbes

    This giant bacterium is the largest one found yet

    On average, Thiomargarita magnifica measures 1 centimeter long and maxes out at 2 centimeters. It is 50 times larger than other giant bacteria.

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  9. Microbes

    New images reveal details of two bacteria’s molecular syringes

    It’s unclear exactly how these species use their tiny injectors, but learning how they work could lead to nanodevices that target specific bacteria.

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  10. Life

    Some E. coli set off viral grenades inside nearby bacteria

    A bacterial toxin called colibactin awakens dormant viruses embedded in bacterial DNA, but its ecological role is still unknown.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Fecal transplant pills helped some peanut allergy sufferers in a small trial

    In a small study, a one-day fecal microbiota transplant allowed some peanut-allergic adults to safely eat one to two peanuts several months later.

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  12. Life

    Why kitchen sponges are the perfect home for bacteria

    Sponges are remarkably diverse hot spots for bacteria, in part because of the mixed-housing environment that the tools offer their tenants.

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