Microbes and More News
August 24, 2025
Top Headlines
Aug. 23, 2025 — A new study reveals that the majority of Earth’s species stem from a few evolutionary explosions, where new traits or habitats sparked rapid diversification. From flowers to birds, these bursts explain most of the planet’s ...
Aug. 19, 2025 — MSU researchers discovered that microbes begin shaping the brain while still in the womb, influencing neurons in a region critical for stress and social behavior. Their findings suggest modern birth practices that alter the microbiome may have ...
Aug. 17, 2025 — Roughly two-thirds of all atmospheric methane, a potent greenhouse gas, comes from methanogens. Tracking down which methanogens in which environment produce methane with a specific isotope signature is difficult, however. UC Berkeley researchers ...
Aug. 17, 2025 — Scientists have engineered a groundbreaking cancer treatment that uses bacteria to smuggle viruses directly into tumors, bypassing the immune system and delivering a powerful one-two punch against cancer cells. The bacteria act like Trojan horses, ...
Aug. 8, 2025 — Researchers at Scripps have created T7-ORACLE, a powerful new tool that speeds up evolution, allowing scientists to design and improve proteins thousands of times faster than nature. Using engineered bacteria and a modified viral replication system, ...
Aug. 4, 2025 — Glasswing butterflies may all look alike, but behind their transparent wings hides an evolutionary story full of intrigue. Researchers discovered that while these butterflies appear nearly identical to avoid predators, they produce unique pheromones ...
July 25, 2025 — Fermenting stevia with a banana leaf-derived probiotic turns it into a powerful cancer-fighting agent that kills pancreatic cancer cells while sparing healthy ones. The secret lies in a metabolite called CAME, produced through microbial ...
July 22, 2025 — New research from the University of Sydney sheds light on how coronaviruses emerge in bat populations, focusing on young bats as hotspots for infections and co-infections that may drive viral ...
July 21, 2025 — What scientists once dismissed as junk DNA may actually be some of the most powerful code in our genome. A new international study reveals that ancient viral DNA buried in our genes plays an active role in controlling how other genes are turned on ...
July 12, 2025 — A cat named Pepper has once again helped scientists discover a new virus—this time a mysterious orthoreovirus found in a shrew. Researchers from the University of Florida, including virologist John Lednicky, identified this strain during unrelated ...
July 4, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that the bacteria behind Lyme disease and anaplasmosis have a sneaky way of surviving inside ticks—they hijack the tick’s own cell functions to steal cholesterol they need to grow. By tapping into a built-in protein ...
June 25, 2025 — Two newly discovered viruses lurking in bats are dangerously similar to Nipah and Hendra, both of which have caused deadly outbreaks in humans. Found in fruit bats near villages, these viruses may spread through urine-contaminated fruit, raising ...
Latest Headlines
updated 1:27pm EDT
Aug. 24, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that a gene called MUC19, inherited from Denisovans through ancient interbreeding, may have played a vital role in helping ...
Aug. 21, 2025 — Scientists have decoded the microbial and environmental factors behind cacao fermentation, the critical process that defines chocolate’s taste. By recreating the fermentation with controlled ...
Aug. 20, 2025 — Two independent research teams have unveiled near-complete reference genomes of the central bearded dragon, a reptile with the rare ability to change sex depending on both chromosomes and nest ...
Aug. 16, 2025 — Once on the brink during the last ice age, great white sharks made a remarkable recovery globally, but their DNA reveals a baffling story. Classic migration explanations fail, leaving scientists with ...
Aug. 14, 2025 — Denisovans, a mysterious human relative, left behind far more than a handful of fossils—they left genetic fingerprints in modern humans across the globe. Multiple interbreeding events with distinct ...
Aug. 7, 2025 — Chinese scientists uncovered a powerful energy source for deep Earth microbes: hydrogen and oxidants generated by rock fracturing during earthquakes. The process may also suggest how life could exist ...
July 30, 2025 — Scientists have used artificial intelligence to upgrade plant immune systems, potentially revolutionizing how crops like tomatoes and potatoes can defend against harmful bacteria. By reengineering ...
July 29, 2025 — Scientists at UC Merced have engineered artificial cells that can keep perfect time—mimicking the 24-hour biological clocks found in living organisms. By reconstructing circadian machinery inside ...
July 8, 2025 — Scientists at MIT have turbocharged one of nature’s most sluggish but essential enzymes—rubisco—by applying a cutting-edge evolution technique in living cells. Normally prone to wasteful ...
July 7, 2025 — Scientists found that embryonic skin cells “whisper” through faint mechanical tugs, using the same force-sensing proteins that make our ears ultrasensitive. By syncing these micro-movements, the ...
Earlier Headlines
July 7, 2025 — Scientists have decoded the sea spider’s genome for the first time, revealing how its strangely shaped body—with organs in its legs and barely any abdomen—may be tied to a missing gene. The ...
June 25, 2025 — Leafcutter ants live in highly organized colonies where every ant has a job, and now researchers can flip those jobs like a switch. By manipulating just two neuropeptides, scientists can turn ...
June 24, 2025 — Lichen from the Mojave Desert has stunned scientists by surviving months of lethal UVC radiation, suggesting life could exist on distant planets orbiting volatile stars. The secret? A microscopic ...
June 23, 2025 — In a remarkable twist of science, researchers have transformed a fungus long associated with death into a potential weapon against cancer. Found in tombs like that of King Tut, Aspergillus flavus was ...
June 19, 2025 — During Earth's ancient Snowball periods, when the entire planet was wrapped in ice, life may have endured in tiny meltwater ponds on the surface of equatorial glaciers. MIT researchers ...
June 19, 2025 — Researchers investigating the enigmatic and antibiotic-resistant Pandoraea bacteria have uncovered a surprising twist: these pathogens don't just pose risks they also produce powerful natural ...
June 18, 2025 — New research is shaking up our understanding of evolution by revealing that some species may not evolve gradually at all. Instead, scientists discovered that certain marine worms experienced an ...
June 15, 2025 — Underground fungi may be one of Earth s most powerful and overlooked allies in the fight against climate change, yet most of them remain unknown to science. Known only by DNA, these "dark ...
June 6, 2025 — Scientists have uncovered over 200 new giant viruses lurking in ocean waters that not only help shape marine ecosystems but also manipulate photosynthesis in algae. These massive viruses once nearly ...
June 12, 2025 — Reef "beauty salons" staffed by tiny cleaner fish aren t just for parasite removal they may also shape the microbial life of the entire ecosystem. A fascinating new study shows these ...
June 8, 2025 — In a paper published in National Science Review, a Chinese team of scientists highlights the discovery of well-preserved blue-stain fungal hyphae within a Jurassic fossil wood from northeastern ...
June 25, 2025 — Viruses closely related to the deadly MERS coronavirus are lurking in bats and one group, known as HKU5, may be just one mutation away from making the jump to humans. A new study reveals how these ...
June 3, 2025 — In the heart of Dublin, scientists have discovered that the air holds more than melodies and Guinness-infused cheer it carries invisible traces of life, from wildlife to drugs and even human ...
June 3, 2025 — A new study shows how person-to-person variation in antibody immunity plays a key role in shaping which influenza (flu) strains dominate in a ...
June 2, 2025 — Some microbes living on sand grains use up all the oxygen around them. Their neighbors, left without oxygen, make the best of it: They use nitrate in the surrounding water for denitrification -- a ...
June 2, 2025 — Making a discovery with the potential for innovative applications in pharmaceutical development, a microbiology student has found a long sought-after fungus that produces effects similar to the ...
June 2, 2025 — Researchers have synthesized a new compound called infuzide that shows activity against resistant strains of ...
June 2, 2025 — Scientists in Australia have developed a smart, bacteria-repelling coating based on resilin the ultra-elastic protein that gives fleas their legendary jumping power. When applied to surfaces like ...
June 2, 2025 — California Central Valley, which is known for the agriculture that produces much of the nation's fruits, vegetables and nuts, is a major contributor to a growing dust problem that has profound ...
May 30, 2025 — Laboratory could improve crop resilience In a discovery three decades in the making, scientists have acquired detailed knowledge about the internal structures and mode of regulation for a specialized ...
Monday, July 7, 2025
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Monday, June 23, 2025
Thursday, June 19, 2025
- How Life Endured the Snowball Earth: Evidence from Antarctic Meltwater Ponds
- Microscopic Heist: How Lung Bacteria Forge Weapons to Steal Iron and Survive
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Friday, June 6, 2025
Thursday, June 12, 2025
Sunday, June 8, 2025
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
- DNA Floating in the Air Tracks Wildlife, Viruses -- Even Drugs
- Large-Scale Immunity Profiling Grants Insights Into Flu Virus Evolution
Monday, June 2, 2025
- Nitrogen Loss on Sandy Shores: The Big Impact of Tiny Anoxic Pockets
- Student Discovers Long-Awaited Mystery Fungus Sought by LSD's Inventor
- Synthetic Compound Shows Promise Against Multidrug Resistance
- Insect Protein Blocks Bacterial Infection
- Human-Caused Dust Events Are Linked to Fallow Farmland
Friday, May 30, 2025
Thursday, May 29, 2025
- Leprosy Existed in America Long Before Arrival of Europeans
- Evolution of a Single Gene Allowed the Plague to Adapt, Survive and Kill Much of Humanity Over Many Centuries
- HIV Discovery Could Open Door to Long-Sought Cure
- Discovery of a New Marine Flagellate
- Cotton Virus Circulated Undetected for Nearly 20 Years, Study Finds
- Cannabis Pangenome Reveals Potential for Medicinal and Industrial Use
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
- Too Much of a Good Thing: Consequences of Overplanting Bt Corn in the US
- Kinetic Coupling -- Breakthrough in Understanding Biochemical Networks
- Genetic Deep Dive Dispels Fear of Hybrid Worm Threat
- Yeast Can Now Produce Human DNase1
- In Nature's Math, Freedoms Are Fundamental
- Chemists Recreate How RNA Might Have Reproduced for First Time
- Intestinal Bacteria Influence Aging of Blood Vessels
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
- Zika Virus Uses Cells' 'self-Care' System to Turn Against Host
- Nordic Studies Show the Significance of Old-Growth Forests for Biodiversity
- Stirling Research Could Extend Biopesticide Effectiveness
- HIV Vaccine Study Uncovers Powerful New Antibody Target
Friday, May 23, 2025
Thursday, May 22, 2025
- New Study Reveals How Competition Between Algae Is Transforming the Gulf of Maine
- Ancient DNA Used to Map Evolution of Fever-Causing Bacteria
- 'Selfish' Genes Called Introners Proven to Be a Major Source of Genetic Complexity
- Study Discovers DNA Switch That Controls TB Growth, and Could Help Unlock Its Antibiotic Resistance Secrets
- How Cholera Bacteria Outsmart Viruses
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
- The Dietary Bug in a Cancer Therapy
- Yeast Reveals How Species Adapt to a Warmer Climate
- Unlocking the Secrets of Bat Immunity
- Engineered Bacteria Can Deliver Antiviral Therapies, Vaccines
- Natural Algal Communities Can Inhibit Aquaculture Pathogens
- Songbirds' Great Risk Results in Great Genetic Reward
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
- How Membranes May Have Brought About the Chemistry of Life on Earth
- New Research Reveals Puff Adders as an Important Conservation and Rodent Control Solution
- Advanced Genomics Study Improves Detection of Hard-to-Find Diarrheal Infections
- Wild Spinach Offers Path to Breed Disease Resistance Into Cultivated Varieties
- Cool Science: Researchers Craft Tiny Biological Tools Using Frozen Ethanol
- Why Some Viral Infections Appear to Trigger Autoimmune Disease
- Research Team Traces Evolutionary History of Bacterial Circadian Clock on Ancient Earth
Monday, May 19, 2025
- Genomic Data Shows Widespread Mpox Transmission in West Africa Prior to 2022 Global Outbreak
- Survival Trick: Pathogen Taps Iron Source in Immune Cells
- Family of Parasite Proteins Presents New Potential Malaria Treatment Target
- How Did Plants Evolve the Ability to Transport Massive Amounts of Protein Into Seed Vacuoles?
- How to Swim Without a Brain
- Could Nanoplastics in the Environment Turn E. Coli Into a Bigger Villain?
Friday, May 16, 2025
- Researchers Find CRISPR Is Capable of Even More Than We Thought
- Heat-Tolerant Symbionts a Critical Key to Protecting Florida's Elkhorn Coral from Bleaching During Marine Heatwaves
- How Antibiotic Resistance to Fusidic Acid Works
- Novel Molecular Maneuver Helps Malaria Parasite Dodge the Immune System
- Light-to-Electricity Nanodevice Reveals How Earth's Oldest Surviving Cyanobacteria Worked
Thursday, May 15, 2025
- World's Largest Bat Organoid Platform Paves the Way for Pandemic Preparedness
- Dual Associations With Two Fungi Improve Tree Fitness
- Scientists Use Fossils to Assess the Health of Florida's Largest Remaining Seagrass Bed: Surprisingly, It's Doing Well!
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
- New Hope Against Superbugs: Promising Antibiotic Candidate Discovered
- An Ink That Boosts Coral Reef Settlement by 20 Times
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
- Researchers Develop Living Material from Fungi
- 'Loop'hole: HIV-1 Hijacks Human Immune Cells Using Circular RNAs
Monday, May 12, 2025
- Echidna Microbiome Changes While Mums Nurse Puggle
- Measles Virus Detected in Houston Wastewater Before Cases Were Reported
- Microbial 'phosphorus Gatekeeping' Found at Center of Study Exploring 700,000 Years of Iconic Coastline
Friday, May 9, 2025
- Antibiotics from Human Use Are Contaminating Rivers Worldwide, Study Shows
- Novel, Needle-Free, Live-Attenuated Influenza Vaccines With Broad Protection Against Human and Avian Virus Subtypes
- Researchers Map 7,000-Year-Old Genetic Mutation That Protects Against HIV
- Bacterium Produces 'organic Dishwashing Liquid' To Degrade Oil
- Heart Rhythm Disorder Traced to Bacterium Lurking in Our Gums
Thursday, May 8, 2025
- Researchers Find New Defense Against Hard-to-Treat Plant Diseases
- Bacteria: Recording Gene Activity More Efficiently
- Discovery Opens Up for New Ways to Treat Chlamydia
- Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of a Smallpox Vaccine for Preventing Mpox
- Engineering an Antibody Against Flu With Sticky Staying Power
- AI-Designed DNA Controls Genes in Healthy Mammalian Cells for First Time
- Building Vaccines for Future Versions of a Virus
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
- Feat of 'dung-Gineering' Turns Cow Manure Into One of World's Most Used Materials
- Discovery of Antibiotic Resistance in Newly Identified Bacterium
- Viruses Under the Super Microscope: How Influenza Viruses Communicate With Cells
- Fewer Parasites in the Indian River Lagoon Signal Big Ecosystem Problems
- Comb Jellies Reveal Ancient Origins of Animal Genome Regulation
- Researchers Restore Antibiotic Effect in the Event of Resistance
- Cracking the Code: Deciphering How Concrete Can Heal Itself