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microbiology

Latest Articles

School of Fish
biophysics

Swirling Bacteria Linked to the Physics of Phase Transitions

By Gabriel Popkin
May 4, 2017
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The new experiments suggest that simple models can explain the behavior of thousands of interacting organisms.

A petri dish with an array of mutant yeast strains.
Abstractions blog

Why Some Genetic Miscues Are Helpful

By Veronique Greenwood
November 3, 2016
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A new look at the reasons why organisms missing pairs of genes sometimes do much better than normal.

genomics

Genetic Architects Untwist DNA’s Turns

By Carrie Arnold
October 27, 2016
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Researchers have used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to manipulate the way that DNA coils up inside the cell — another step in the quest to understand how the genome’s 3-D structure impacts its function.

genomics

Giant Genetic Map Shows Life’s Hidden Links

By Veronique Greenwood
October 25, 2016
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In a monumental set of experiments, spread out over nearly two decades, biologists removed genes two at a time to uncover the secret workings of the cell.

evolution

Genetic Engineering to Clash With Evolution

By Brooke Borel
September 8, 2016
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Gene drives promise to spread a trait across an entire population. But evolutionary forces are going to alter even the best-engineered plans.

biophysics

Jammed Cells Expose the Physics of Cancer

By Gabriel Popkin
August 16, 2016
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The subtle mechanics of densely packed cells may help explain why some cancerous tumors stay put while others break off and spread through the body.

Abstractions blog

How to Grow Metal-Eating Microbes

By Jeanette Kazmierczak
June 21, 2016
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Metal-eating microbes get energy from rocks and could teach us about life on other worlds — but first scientists had to learn how to grow them in the lab.

microbiology

New Life Found That Lives Off Electricity

By Emily Singer
June 21, 2016
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Scientists have figured out how microbes can suck energy from rocks. Such lifeforms might be more widespread than anyone anticipated.

synthetic biology

In Newly Created Life-Form, a Major Mystery

By Emily Singer
March 24, 2016
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Scientists have created a synthetic organism that possesses only the genes it needs to survive. But they have no idea what roughly a third of those genes do.


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