Archives

• Run-reverse-wrap! A swimming pathogen story. June 20, 2022
  Researchers discover a new type of swimming movement that boosts an efficient spread of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic human pathogen.
• Honeybee’s learning and memory rely on gut bacteria June 13, 2022
  Poor memory, could this be related to our gut microbiome? Recent research suggests a role of the gut microbiome in governing host’s social behavior and brain function.
• Dirt(y) plastics June 6, 2022
  Plastics in the oceans gain a lot of attention, but what is the effect of plastics on microbial communities in the soil?
• Therapeutic potential of probiotic-like drugs May 30, 2022
  The use of live biotherapeutic products is a developing strategy to treat challenging diseases. Administration of one such drug, called VE303, could become successful against recurrent C. difficile infections.
• Four antibiotics and the intestinal microbiota May 23, 2022
  The ironic role of orally administered antibiotics: savior or destroyer of our gut?
• Relationship Advice from Mucus May 16, 2022
  Healthy relationships require a fine balance between communication and boundaries. Get the best tips from mucus, mediator of our relationship with our gut microbes.
• When #2 can be your #1 solution… May 4, 2022
  Your Best Friend’s #2 could be your #1 solution to fight C-Diff infections; exploring the success of fecal transplantation for the treatment of recurrent C Diff infection.
• Attack strategy 101 of the debutant phage SI01 May 2, 2022
  Recently isolated novel phage SI01 is now here to provide some insights into how phages regulate algal growth in oceans.
• Soil protists as indicators of pollution April 27, 2022
  Although scientists know a lot about soil, the same cannot be said about soil protists. Read about these peculiar microorganisms, and how they can help with identifying polluted land areas.
• Tale of a troubled microbe April 25, 2022
  Microbes converse through the exchange of metabolites. Who knew that a simple conversation could improve the drug tolerance of microbes?
• Veillonella takes you to the Olympics! April 20, 2022
  Could your gut microbiome make you run faster or even take you to the Olympics?
• Fire! A close up look at bacterial spearguns April 18, 2022
  Spring-loaded: bacterial spearguns are ready to fire! Getting a closer look at molecular nanomachines that act as spearguns.
• An Abundant Marine Microbe Makes its Own Oxygen April 13, 2022
  This marine microbe is able to make its own oxygen in a low oxygen environment. And it can use it to its own advantage.
• Squirreling into the gut of ground squirrels April 11, 2022
  Ground squirrels are known to hold on to long periods of hibernation through the strategic help of ureolytic bacteria. Here’s the why and how this connection is important to us.
• The Bacteriophage’s gambit April 6, 2022
  Bacteriophages strategically use the protein signalling system to determine when it’s best for them to proliferate or to stay dormant
• Intraterrestrials – microbes living under our feet April 4, 2022
  Don’t you mean extra-terrestrials? Well, humans have been looking for life outside our planet, but there’s also life inside it.
• A Voice for Protists March 30, 2022
  Uncover just how widespread and versatile protists can be thanks to metabarcoding.
• Cleansing the Water from Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) March 23, 2022
  Disinfection technologies in wastewater treatment plants can contribute to the removal of microbes and their ARGs. How do we respond to resistant microbes that are still determined to survive the treatment?
• The future is green March 21, 2022
  World, where all processes are carbon-neutral, is closer than you think! Learn how and why algae are important for this transition.
• A probiotic cream to treat acne March 16, 2022
  Skin conditions like acne have been treated with antibiotics for a long time. Alternative treatments are possible now with emerging knowledge about the beneficial effects of bacteria like Lactobacilli.
• ‘You are what you eat.’ March 14, 2022
  Can bat gut microbiomes provide proof for this generalized truth? Bats with different dietary specializations have ‘distinct’ microbiomes that suit their nutritional pathways. So it turns out that you might indeed be what you eat… but it is not as straightforward as that.
• Secret growth stimulators March 7, 2022
  Most trees form an intimate relationship with fungi. Researchers have now shown for the first time how important this partnership is for the growth of trees.
• An arms race between SARS-CoV-2 and our immune systems February 28, 2022
  New covid-19 variants keep on arising and spreading, but can our bodies still recognize these variants and protect us from serious disease?
• Next-level gene editing with DARTs February 23, 2022
  Genome editing just reached a whole new level: Instead of targeting isolated bacteria, researchers developed tools to target them in their natural communities.
• Meeting the ancestors February 21, 2022
  What was the physiology of the very first bacterium? Turns out that it was not as different as you might have imagined! Read about Last Bacterial Common Ancestor to understand how it gave rise to millions of bacterial species that you know today.
• Martyrs of infection February 18, 2022
  Just like the outer skin heals itself after a wound, there is an inner skin that has its mechanisms to protect itself from infections.
• No sex life means less diversity? February 16, 2022
  The tree of life is not uniform. Some groups contain many species and others, like microbes, a lot less… Are multicellularity and sex driving these differences?
• Best Buds and Flaky Friends February 14, 2022
  Our crops have microbial friends that keep microbial enemies at bay. But who is a friend and who is an enemy? It all comes down to communication.
• A Day in the Life of a Spaniard’s Microbiome February 9, 2022
  Everyone’s microbiome is unique — changing based on factors like diet. This article focuses on a Spaniard’s microbiome and what makes it stand out.
• Honey, I killed the bacteria. February 7, 2022
  Did you know honey has antibacterial properties? Well, its way of action has to do with how bacteria communicate.
• Living on Air February 4, 2022
  Scientists explain fascinating mechanisms of survival of bacteria in the unforgiving environment of Antarctica.
• The Space-Faring Fungus: Aspergillus niger February 2, 2022
  A common fungi’s superpower unleashed! Learn here what made it better than humans for space travel.
• MicroBites is 1! January 31, 2022
  MicroBites 1 year anniversary! Let’s have a look at the past year in numbers.
• Bitter-sweet resistance January 26, 2022
  Antibiotic resistance has been the hot topic of the current century. Recent research has shown that microbial interactions can modulate the susceptibility of bacteria to antibiotics.
• Kefir – A fermented drink with many health benefits January 24, 2022
  Is the rising popularity of kefir’s ‘proposed’ health/weight loss benefits backed by science or too good to be true?
• Your gut bacteria are little drug depots. January 19, 2022
  Therapeutic drugs can accumulate in gut bacteria, altering bacterial physiology and community composition, and potentially reducing the effectiveness of the drug.
• Count von Count counts all the phages January 17, 2022
  Phage Lambda uses genetic interactions to perform something human children need years to learn: counting.
• Geometry vs Bacteria and Fungi… Who will win? January 10, 2022
  Scientists already know that the soil is full of microorganisms, and that these microorganisms need to adapt and act fast to survive in this complex environment. Learn here how space and geometry can influence bacterial and fungal growth.
• The bacterial community of your old chewing gum January 5, 2022
  Scientists discover the microbial communities that exist within old, discarded chewing gum. Their work could have implications for the bioremediation of chewing gum pollution.
• A Microbe’s Gift of Life December 27, 2021
  Do you know these moments where you get gifts, and only realize three billion years later how to use them?
• Bacteria to the rescue: helping corals survive warming oceans December 20, 2021
  Probiotics are already used to improve human health but could they help corals survive climate change?
• Moving across borders: how bacterial genes become mobile December 15, 2021
  Microbes can undergo changes in their genetic composition. Mobile Genetic Elements can facilitate these changes. Is this just another travel route for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes?
• Positive news on the social life of bacteria December 13, 2021
  Negative interactions between bacteria were thought to be the rule… Until now.
• Conversations with microbes December 8, 2021
  Can scientists predict composition of a microbial community for a specific habitat? Researchers have shown that by using mathematical models and simulations, interactions amongst various microbes can be estimated relatively accurately.
• Winning Tiny “Dirt-y” Battles December 6, 2021
  Scientists uncover how a bacterium, living within a soil-dwelling fungus, protects its host from predatory nematodes.
• Desert microbes can help with fighting climate change December 1, 2021
  What mysteries are hidden under layers of sand in a desert? Scientists believe that microorganisms that live in this environment can help the human population to avoid the crisis of climate change.
• A two-pronged approach to antibiotic resistance November 29, 2021
  Antibiotics have revolutionized the treatment of deadly infectious diseases, but does that mean that these diseases are only a thing of the past?
• Fermented food fighting for us – Part II November 29, 2021
  Fermented foods are famous for helping with proper gastrointestinal function, but can they help with respiratory infections, like COVID?
• Flesh of the Fallen. November 22, 2021
  Many human cultures consider cannibalism unethical. Bacterial cultures have a different take.
• The collateral damage of antibiotics. November 15, 2021
  Scientists analyzed the “collateral damage” of antibiotics on our gut microbiome and identified potential antidotes to protect our gut bacteria.
• Improving wine with a cocktail of microorganisms November 10, 2021
  Wine is made by the fermentation of microorganisms, but do you know that the species used or association of several species can impact wine aromatic quality ?
• Life After Death: Using the Human Microbiome as a Forensics Tool November 8, 2021
  We are never alone…even in the moment of death. Our microbiomes stay with us until the last second. Interestingly enough, the moment we die, our “microbial clocks” start ticking! Learn more about this unique clock and how it can help forensic scientists solve cases in the future.
• Keeping an eye for the gut microbiota! November 1, 2021
  The gut microbiota is full of surprises! Already proven to be linked with our immunity and metabolism disorders such as obesity or diabetes, it seems like it could also affect our eyes…
• Where did viruses come from? October 27, 2021
  Viruses are surrounding us, yet we do not know their origin. Are giant viruses the missing part to understand virus evolution?
• A Deeply Rooted Connection October 25, 2021
  Plants love bacteria, bacteria love plants back. Who loves who more?
• Behind the scenes: Enigma of epigenetics October 20, 2021
  Epigenetics, a budding field in biology, is the study of the influence of environmental factors on the genes of an organism. Recently, researchers have utilized epigenetics to design new vaccine candidates.
• The conversion of xylitol in the human colon October 18, 2021
  Xylitol metabolism by gut bacteria has unexplored and intriguing benefits.
• Computers vs. pathogens: the final frontier? October 13, 2021
  The role of computers in the fight against multidrug-resistant bacteria – designer proteins enhance the production of key bacteria-killing enzymes.
• Plant protein or microbial protein, which is better? October 11, 2021
  Photovoltaic-driven single-celled protein (PV-SCP) may be a sustainable protein source for the future. But what is PV-SCP and how does it compare with other protein sources?
• Microbes eating plastics October 6, 2021
  Microbes are everywhere, and they have a large repertoire of degrading chemicals. Some microbes can even degrade plastics…
• Death of Bacillus subtilis gives rise to new cellular structures October 4, 2021
  Sometimes, the death of a bacterial cell signifies the beginning of the development of unique cellular structures, known as nanotubes. Read below about Bacillus subtilis and its mechanism for nanotubes production!
• Fighting Microbe With Microbe: the Power of Wolbachia. September 29, 2021
  As microbial pathogens continue to plague the Earth, we have found a way to combat some diseases employing their own kind: bacteria known as Wolbachia.
• Targeting tumors with bacterial magnets. September 27, 2021
  Discover how bacteria and magnets get along to offer hope toward better treatment for cancer.
• How tuberculosis evades our immune response September 22, 2021
  Tuberculosis survives most of what our bodies have to throw at it. What tricks does it employ that other diseases don’t?
• Smart slime – memory without a nervous system. September 20, 2021
  Memory is generally used to describe behavior in organisms with a nervous system. However, a slime mold is capable of encoding the location of (past) food sources in its tube-like body!
• Microbes and immune cells battling antibiotic resistance. September 15, 2021
  From one tissue environment to the next, pathogens are challenged and react in different ways. Researchers have found two novel mechanisms by which the microbiota and immune system interact to protect against antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
• How Ancient Microbes Can Change the Future of Science. September 13, 2021
  Current technological advances in the fields of genetics and biology offer exciting opportunities for future research. But can these technologies be applied to study ancient microorganisms?
• Prokaryotic origins of science’s biggest gene editing technology September 6, 2021
  Scientists at a dairy production company discovered that bacteria use CRISPR to defend against viruses.
• Competition is the rule in culturable microbes. August 30, 2021
  In the environment, microbes don’t live alone but rather in a community. But do microbes necessarily cooperate within these communities in order to survive?
• There’s no such thing as inefficiency. August 23, 2021
  All nitrogen in living things is fixed by microorganisms. One enzyme is better at this than the others, so why do others exist at all?
• Bioreactors in Bacteria: the Bacterial Microcompartment August 16, 2021
  To great surprise, many bacteria possess organelles that function as microscopic bioreactors, helping them thrive in niche environments.
• An ancient chemical weapon against viral predators. August 9, 2021
  We’re not so different after all. Researchers have discovered that a human antiviral defense strategy likely originated in earth’s most ancient microbes.
• From Antarctica to our freezers. August 2, 2021
  Have you ever wondered what makes frozen food last so long in the freezer? The answer to this question lies 9,000 miles away in Antarctica.
• Fermented food fighting for us- Part I July 26, 2021
  Fermented foods are more than a flavorful companion to our dishes- they provide protection in a myriad of ways.
• What genes make a bacteria? July 19, 2021
  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. July 12, 2021
  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? July 5, 2021
  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. June 28, 2021
  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! June 27, 2021
  Enter the world of microbiomes and celebrate this day with us!
• A toxin to kill them all. June 21, 2021
  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. June 14, 2021
  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. June 7, 2021
  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” May 31, 2021
  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. May 24, 2021
  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. May 17, 2021
  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. May 10, 2021
  A story about two bacteria working together to produce a stinky rotten-egg smell.
• A bacterium and an archaeon hand in hand. May 3, 2021
  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. April 26, 2021
  Why would carpenter ants supplement their food with an acidic serum from their poison gland?
• Hello bacteriophages, goodbye antibiotics? April 19, 2021
  Back to basics, viruses to treat infection and fight antibiotic resistance.
• Mimivirus – a giant in a small world. April 12, 2021
  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? April 5, 2021
  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. March 29, 2021
  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. March 22, 2021
  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. March 15, 2021
  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?
• Small animals, big conclusions- pros and cons of HMA models. March 1, 2021
  Determining the causal link between diseases and microbiota is still a challenge in microbiota research. But animal models […]
• Finding food in a labyrinth – an hyphae story. February 15, 2021
  Fungi are not the most ordinary microbes; they are the biggest organisms on earth. And we thought microbes […]
• Can bacteria tell the time? January 31, 2021
  We can do it, and so can plants: tell the time of day based on our environment. How […]
• Mad scientists are starving bacteria for years. January 29, 2021
  Some experiments take days, some weeks or months and a few take years. In bacterial time this means […]
• Open Sesame – the chemical power needed to enter the hive. January 29, 2021
  Do you want to know how bees communicate with each other and recognize themselves? It could be all […]