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?
Bacteria
Scientists at a dairy production company discovered that bacteria use CRISPR to defend against viruses.
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?
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?
To great surprise, many bacteria possess organelles that function as microscopic bioreactors, helping them thrive in niche environments.
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.
The many genes of an organism are all not equally important. Which are crucial and how do they differ between bacteria?
After a little makeover, this microbe can transform from a harmless friend to a dangerous foe.
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!
Streptomyces spores have found a way to use motile soil bacteria and travel to new destinations.
