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Latest Articles
New Squid Genome Shines Light on Symbiotic Evolution
Researchers hope that the genes of a glowing squid can illuminate how animals evolved organs for beneficial bacteria.
Should Evolution Treat Our Microbes as Part of Us?
How does evolution select the fittest “individuals” when they are ecosystems made up of hosts and their microbiomes? Biologist debate the need to revise theories.
On Waste Plastics at Sea, She Finds Unique Microbial Multitudes
Maria-Luiza Pedrotti is illuminating the unseen worlds of plastic-eating bacteria that teem in massive ocean garbage patches.
Simpler Math Tames the Complexity of Microbe Networks
The dizzying network of interactions within microbe communities can defy analysis. But a new approach simplifies the math and makes progress possible.
How Bacteria Help Regulate Blood Pressure
Kidneys sniff out signals from gut bacteria for cues to lower blood pressure after meals. Our understanding of how the symbiotic microbes affect health is becoming much more molecular.
Below Our Feet, a World of Hidden Life
The soil teems with billions of hidden microbes. Researchers have begun to catalog how these organisms are changing the world.
Evolving With a Little Help From Our Friends
A new theory suggests that cooperation between a host and its microbes may be a significant evolutionary force.
Our Bodies, Our Data
New technologies have launched the life sciences into the age of big data. Biologists must now make sense of their windfall.