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Microbiology

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What a Newfound Kingdom Means for the Tree of Life

December 11, 2018

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.

‘Broadband’ Networks of Viruses May Help Bacteria Evolve Faster

October 16, 2018

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

September 13, 2018

Maria-Luiza Pedrotti is illuminating the unseen worlds of plastic-eating bacteria that teem in massive ocean garbage patches.

Slime Molds Remember — but Do They Learn?

July 9, 2018

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

Cells Talk and Help One Another via Tiny Tube Networks

April 23, 2018

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

Simpler Math Tames the Complexity of Microbe Networks

January 19, 2018

The dizzying network of interactions within microbe communities can defy analysis. But a new approach simplifies the math and makes progress possible.

Seeing the Beautiful Intelligence of Microbes

November 13, 2017

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.

Bacteria Use Brainlike Bursts of Electricity to Communicate

September 5, 2017

With electrical signals, simple cells organize themselves into complex societies and negotiate with other colonies.

Building Codes for Bacterial Cities

July 25, 2017

Hydrodynamics and competition guide the architectural design of biofilm fortresses.

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