Microbes slowed by one drug can rapidly develop resistance to another
Infectious bacteria that are down but not quite dead yet may be more dangerous than previously thought. Even as one antibiotic causes the bacteria to go dormant, the microbes may more easily develop resistance to another drug, according to new research. Deadly Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that could tolerate one type of antibiotic developed resistance to…
New images reveal details of two bacteria’s molecular syringes
Some bacteria carry tiny syringes filled with chemicals that may thin out competitors or incapacitate predators. Now, researchers have gotten up-close views of these syringes, technically known as contractile injection systems, from a type of cyanobacteria and a marine bacterium. Figuring out how key parts of the molecular syringes work may help scientists devise their…
These climate-friendly microbes recycle carbon without producing methane
Earth’s hot springs and hydrothermal vents are home to a previously unidentified group of archaea. And, unlike similar tiny, single-celled organisms that live deep in sediments and munch on decaying plant matter, these archaea don’t produce the climate-warming gas methane, researchers report April 23 in Nature Communications. “Microorganisms are the most diverse and abundant form…
Watch: Recent microbial discoveries are changing our view of life on...
Gumdrop with an earring. That’s what pops to mind when I look at Sebastian Hess’ photos of a kind of plump, violent, single-celled creature he collected from a pond rich in sphagnum moss in southern Germany. The shape-shifting amoebozoan cell, prowling for algal cells to attack, curls its long strand of a flagellum into an…
Some bacteria can flourish in microwave ovens
Science News was founded in 1921 as an independent, nonprofit source of accurate information on the latest news of science, medicine and technology. Today, our mission remains the same: to empower people to evaluate the news and the world around them. It is published by the Society for Science, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated…
Evolutionary virologist Daniel Blanco-Melo seeks out ancient pathogens
Smallpox, measles, mumps. These are among the contagious diseases that European colonists likely brought to the Americas at the turn of the 16th century, prompting the collapse of Indigenous populations. But the exact viruses that caused the millions of deaths remain unknown. Daniel Blanco-Melo seeks to solve that historical puzzle. An evolutionary virologist at the…
More than 100 bacteria species can flourish in microwave ovens
Science News was founded in 1921 as an independent, nonprofit source of accurate information on the latest news of science, medicine and technology. Today, our mission remains the same: to empower people to evaluate the news and the world around them. It is published by the Society for Science, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated…
Meet some of the microbes that give cheeses flavor
Cheese making has been around for thousands of years, and there are now more than 1,000 varieties of cheese worldwide. But what exactly makes some cheeses like Parmesan taste fruity and others, such as Brie and Camembert, taste musty has remained a bit of a mystery. Now, scientists have pinned down the specific types of…
A chain mail–like armor may shield C. difficile from some antibiotics
Chain mail–like armor may help keep one superbug safe from bacteria-killing medicines. Clostridioides difficile bacteria are notorious for taking over the guts of people who have taken antibiotics to treat other infections. If the antibiotic clears out too many good bacteria, the loss can throw the gut’s microbial system out of whack and allow diarrhea-causing…
Scientists identify “universal network” of microbes for decomposing flesh
Enlarge / It's tough to precisely determine cause of death in a corpse. Microbes found on decomposing flesh can help. Establishing a precise time of death (the postmortem interval, or PMI) upon discovery of a corpse is notoriously challenging, however easy fictional medical examiners might make it seem. Some forensic scientists use the life cycle…
