Microbial Molecule Turns Plants Into Zombies: The Curse That Might Contain a Cure
Zombie plants, witches’ brooms and the curse that might contain a cure. A newly discovered manipulation mechanism used by parasitic bacteria to slow down plant…
Bacteria
Groundbreaking Bacteria-Killing Viruses Unite With Antibiotics To Fight Devastating Bacteria Infections
Mycobacterium abscessus, a relative of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis and leprosy, is responsible for particularly severe damage to human lungs and can be resistant…
Promising New Stem Cell Treatment for MRSA Superbug Infections
A study released in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM), by researchers at the Baker Institute for Animal Health, part of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine,…
Using Evolutionary Principles To Prevent Antibiotic Resistance
Understanding resistance rates and cross-resistance can improve the potency of sequential antibiotic treatment protocols. Sequential treatment using antibiotics that are similar but swapped around frequently…
Just a Few Common Bacterial Groups Gobble Up the Majority of Carbon in Soil
Just a few bacterial groups found in ecosystems across the planet are responsible for more than half of carbon cycling in soils, according to new…
Bacteria Engineered To Make Key Chemical Offers a Renewable Source of Synthetic Rubber
Microbes are engineered to convert sugar into a chemical found in tires. The future environmental footprint of the tire industry could be substantially shrunk thanks…
Common Floral Bacteria Can Enhance Pollen Germination
The bacteria can double amount of protein released from pollen. Newly published, first-of-its-kind research indicates that certain species of floral bacteria can enhance pollen germination, announced…
Hidden Bacterial Hairs Power Nature’s “Electric Grid” – A Global Web of Bacteria-Generated Nanowires
A hair-like protein hidden inside bacteria serves as a sort of on-off switch for nature’s “electric grid,” a global web of bacteria-generated nanowires that permeates…
Blood-Sucking Bugs Find Bats To Bite Thanks to Bacteria
Blood-sucking flies may be following chemicals produced by skin bacteria to locate bats to feed on. We humans aren’t the only animals that have to…
Fasting May Help Ward Off Infections – Protects Against Foodborne Illness Such As Salmonella
Fasting before and during exposure to Salmonella enterica bacteria protects mice from developing a full-blown infection, in part due to changes in the animals’ gut…
MIT Researchers Devised a Way To Program Memories Into Bacterial Cells by Rewriting Their DNA
Technique for editing bacterial genomes can record interactions between cells, may offer a way to edit genes in the human microbiome. Biological engineers at MIT…
Scientists Surprised: Fighting Off Food Poisoning Depends on the Time of Day
Levels of natural antimicrobial molecule fluctuate on a circadian rhythm prompted by resident gut bacteria, study shows. The body’s ability to prevent food poisoning by…
Ingenious Ocean Microbes Team Up Brilliantly To Gather Food When It’s Scarce
What’s a hungry marine microbe to do when the pickings are slim? It must capture nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus, or iron – to survive, yet…
Researchers Shocked to Discover Bacterial Parasites Behind Rise of “Superbugs”
For the first time ever, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine discovered that phages — tiny viruses that attack bacteria — are…
Warning: Dog Food Sold Across Europe Contains Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria – Including “Superbugs”
New research being presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), held online this year, reveals raw dog food to be…
Unlocking the Power of the Microbiome – Fundamental Aspects of Close Relationships With Microorganisms
Not only animals and humans host a complex community of microorganisms – plants do this as well. Researchers at ETH Zurich have recently published two…
Mutant Genes Can Promote Genetic Transfer Between Totally Different Types of Organisms
Mutant genes can promote genetic transfer across taxonomic kingdoms. Bacteria do not sexually reproduce, but that does not stop them from exchanging genetic information as…
New Molecule Discovered in Chestnut Leaves Disarms Dangerous Staph Bacteria
Scientists isolated a molecule, extracted from the leaves of the European chestnut tree, with the power to neutralize dangerous, drug-resistant staph bacteria. Frontiers in Pharmacology…