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Categories: Biology: Microbiology, Ecology: Extinction

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Extremely long tail provides structural window into how bacteria-infecting viruses called phages assemble.

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A study of chicken farms in the West found that high winds increased the prevalence of Campylobacter in outdoor flocks, a bacterial pathogen in poultry that is the largest single cause of foodborne illness in the U.S. Researchers found that about 26% of individual chickens had the pathogen at the 'open environment' farms in the study, which included organic and free-range chicken farms. High winds the week prior to sampling and the farms' location in more intensive agricultural settings were linked to a greater prevalence of Campylobacter.

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Researchers sheds light on a face-off in the intestines between the immune system and a bacterial pathogen whose family members cause gastrointestinal disease and the plague. The team's insights may extend to other chronic infections and could inform the development of immunotherapies capable of fully extinguishing such diseases.

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A team of faculty has discovered new technology that will quickly and easily detect active Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infection antibodies.

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Scientists have transformed single-cell algae into functional perovskite materials. The team has converted mineral shells of algae into lead halide perovskites with tunable physical properties. The new perovskites have unique nano-architectures unachievable by conventional synthetic production. The method can be applied to the mass production of perovskites with tunable structural and electro-optical properties from single-celled organisms.

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Dramatic differences between shallow and mesophotic reefs stress the importance of studying--and conserving--these vital ecosystems along their entire depth gradient.

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A whole new world of antibiotics is waiting inside the viruses that infect bacteria. Scientists are making it easier to study them.

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Rather than let the next outbreak take the world by surprise, two virologists say that the scientific community should invest in a four-part research framework to proactively identify animal viruses that might infect humans.

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Island-dwelling mammal species often expand or contract in size, becoming giant or dwarf versions of their mainland counterparts. A new Science study from a global team shows that those giants and dwarfs have faced extreme risk of extinction -- an existential threat exacerbated by the arrival of humans.

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A team of investigators has identified metabolic strategies used by Clostridioides difficile to rapidly colonize the gut. The findings identify methods to better prevent and treat the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs). The team's approach has implications for understanding broader aspects of microbial metabolism, including responses to antibiotics, and production of important metabolites.

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Most cells in the bodies of living things duplicate their contents and physically separate into new cells through the process of cell division. But across many species, germ cells, those that become eggs or sperm, don't fully separate. They remain interconnected through small bridges called ring canals and cluster together. In a new study, researchers uncover how it is that germ cells in fruit flies form these ring canals, a finding that they say will provide new insights into a widely shared feature of development and into diseases in which cell division is disrupted.

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A new biosensor offers scientists the first dynamic glimpses of manganese, an elusive metal ion that is essential for life.

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Researchers have uncovered new evidence of western pygmy possums interacting with native flowers, providing an eDNA study to simultaneously detect mammal, insect and bird DNA on flowers.

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Do cesarean-born babies miss out on essential microbes? New evidence suggests that the answer may be 'no.' Researchers report that mothers are able to transfer microbes to their babies via alternative, compensatory routes. While cesarean-born babies do receive less of their mother's gut microbiome during birth, they make up for this by drinking their mother's microbes in breastmilk.

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Geologists studying the Bakken Shale Formation discovered a critical kill mechanism behind a series of extinctions some 350 million years ago.

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A research team has shed new light on the importance of plant roots for below-ground life, particularly in the tropics. Millions of small creatures toiling in a single hectare of soil including earthworms, springtails, mites, insects, and other arthropods are crucial for decomposition and soil health. For a long time, it was believed that leaf litter is the primary resource for these animals. However, this recent study is the first to provide proof that resources derived from plant roots drive soil animal communities in the tropics.

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Researchers describe a new manner of detecting microbial infection that intercepts pathogen-derived signals of growth to assess the relative threat of virulent bacteria. A nuclear hormone receptor in the nematode C. elegans senses a toxic metabolite produced by the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa to activate innate immunity. These data reveal an ancient strategy that informs the origins of pathogen detection and may be among the most primordial forms of immune sensing in animals.

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The DNA sequence of a gene in wheat responsible for resisting a devastating virus has been discovered, providing vital clues for managing more resistant crops and maintaining a healthy food supply.

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New methodology and tools provide an opportunity to watch in unprecedented detail as a phage attacks a bacterium.

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Mineral particles played a key role in raising oxygen levels in the Earth's atmosphere billions of years ago, with major implications for the way intelligent life later evolved, according to new research.