Breaking down the microbiology world one bite at a time
What genes make a bacteria?
The many genes of an organism are all not equally important. Which are crucial and how do they differ between bacteria?
A Simple Switch from Friend to Foe.
After a little makeover, this microbe can transform from a harmless friend to a dangerous foe.
Can we train computers to predict bacterial functions in plants?
Researchers have developed a machine learning tactic to help discover new beneficial genes and bacteria. While the research discussed here is on plants, this tactic can be applied to every host-microbe system!
The limits of microbial life.
Life can be found in many extreme environments: high temperature, high salinity, or acidic environments. But can microbes survive in a place that combines all three?
World microbiome day!
Enter the world of microbiomes and celebrate this day with us!
A toxin to kill them all.
In a man-made waterbody in the ground there lived a bacterium. A nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell… The protagonist of this story is a cyanobacterium.
Microbial hitchhiking.
Streptomyces spores have found a way to use motile soil bacteria and travel to new destinations.
A low carb diet- resilience of the soil microbiome.
Though the soil microbiome manages to thrive through the harshest ecosystems, scientists thought them limited by their access to organic carbon sources… until now.
The skin’s “frenemy”
Our skin is teeming with microbes crucial to its health. However, one microbe is not always the skin’s friend.
A new letter in the genetic alphabet.
A,T,C,G is our universal genetic alphabet, from viruses to human beings. But some viruses like to stand out from all of us and use another letter: Z.
A new powerhouse.
Mitochondria are our powerhouses: they give us energy from the oxygen we breathe. But did you know other powerhouses exist?
From leafy greens to stink bombs.
A story about two bacteria working together to produce a stinky rotten-egg smell.
A bacterium and an archaeon hand in hand.
Sharing resources is necessary to survive. Meet PT and MT, a bacterium and an archaeon, which have developed a way to evolve together to share nutrients, hand in hand.
Ants drink their own poison as a disinfectant.
Why would carpenter ants supplement their food with an acidic serum from their poison gland?
Hello bacteriophages, goodbye antibiotics?
Back to basics, viruses to treat infection and fight antibiotic resistance.
Mimivirus – a giant in a small world.
Viruses are the smallest known organisms. But some viruses are breaking records. Meet the “MImicking MIcrobe”: the Mimivirus, and learn about their possible origin.
Did viruses make living rocks?
Microbial mats may have persisted through millions of years thanks to viruses. But how do viruses shape these microbial communities?
Microbes in cheese – competition or cooperation.
Friend, foe, or wary coexistence?The nature of relationships between fungi and bacteria are decided on a cheesy landscape.
Sourdough bread and its aromatic microbes.
Sourdough bread has been part of human history for millennials but where do its aromas come from?
Mars in a BOX – Microbes to survive Martian environment.
Mars does not seem very welcoming: It’s cold, dry, and it gets a lot of UV light on the surface. Would microbes survive in this harsh environment?
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