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microbiology

Latest Articles

Abstractions blog

What a Newfound Kingdom Means for the Tree of Life

By Jonathan Lambert
December 11, 2018
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Neither animal, plant, fungus nor familiar protozoan, a strange microbe that sits in its own “supra-kingdom” of life foretells incredible biodiversity yet to be discovered by new sequencing technologies.

Art for "‘Broadband’ Networks of Viruses May Help Bacteria Evolve Faster"
microbiology

‘Broadband’ Networks of Viruses May Help Bacteria Evolve Faster

By Jonathan Lambert
October 16, 2018
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A newly discovered mechanism may enable viruses to shuttle genes between bacteria 1,000 times as often as was thought — making them a major force in those cells’ evolution.

Q&A

On Waste Plastics at Sea, She Finds Unique Microbial Multitudes

By Elizabeth Svoboda
September 13, 2018
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Maria-Luiza Pedrotti is illuminating the unseen worlds of plastic-eating bacteria that teem in massive ocean garbage patches.

Photo of Physarum Polycephalum
cognitive science

Slime Molds Remember — but Do They Learn?

By Katia Moskvitch
July 9, 2018
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Evidence mounts that organisms without nervous systems can in some sense learn and solve problems, but researchers disagree about whether this is “primitive cognition.”

Image for "Cells Talk and Help One Another via Tiny Tube Networks"
microbiology

Cells Talk and Help One Another via Tiny Tube Networks

By Viviane Callier
April 23, 2018
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Long-overlooked “tunneling nanotubes” and other bridges between cells act as conduits for sharing RNA, proteins or even whole organelles.

520px illustration of microbial networks
microbiology

Simpler Math Tames the Complexity of Microbe Networks

By Jordana Cepelewicz
January 19, 2018
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The dizzying network of interactions within microbe communities can defy analysis. But a new approach simplifies the math and makes progress possible.

Red slime mold
Multimedia

Seeing the Beautiful Intelligence of Microbes

By John Rennie +1 authors
Lucy Reading-Ikkanda
November 13, 2017
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Bacterial biofilms and slime molds are more than crude patches of goo. Detailed time-lapse microscopy reveals how they sense and explore their surroundings, communicate with their neighbors and adaptively reshape themselves.

biophysics

Bacteria Use Brainlike Bursts of Electricity to Communicate

By Gabriel Popkin
September 5, 2017
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With electrical signals, simple cells organize themselves into complex societies and negotiate with other colonies.

microbiology

Building Codes for Bacterial Cities

By Carrie Arnold
July 25, 2017
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Hydrodynamics and competition guide the architectural design of biofilm fortresses.


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