All articles tagged with #microbiology
New research published in Antarctic Science explains Blood Falls: the red water is iron oxide formed by ancient subterranean bacteria, while the liquid is a hypersaline brine kept unfrozen at -20°C; eruptions occur when pressure builds in subglacial channels beneath Taylor Glacier, forcing brine out in bursts and briefly slowing the glacier, with warming's future effects still unknown.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo are engineering Clostridium sporogenes bacteria to invade oxygen-poor tumor cores and consume nutrients from inside, potentially destroying tumors. They added an oxygen-tolerance gene and use quorum sensing to activate it only after enough bacteria accumulate, limiting safety risks. Next steps combine both features in a single strain and test in preclinical trials, showcasing interdisciplinary synthetic-biology cancer research.
A Frontiers in Microbiology study details Psychrobacter SC65A.3 isolated from a 5,000-year-old ice core in Romania’s Scărișoara Ice Cave. Genomic analysis reveals over 100 antibiotic-resistance genes (and ~600 genes of unknown function) and resistance to ten modern antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin. While thawing ice due to climate change could release resistance genes into contemporary bacteria, the enzymes and compounds from this ancient microbe also offer potential biotechnological applications; the finding underscores the need for monitoring ancient genomes as glaciers and caves thaw and consider implications for antimicrobial resistance.
A 5,000-year-old Psychrobacter bacterium retrieved from the Scarisoara Ice Cave in Romania is resistant to 10 antibiotics and carries more than 100 resistance genes, showing that antibiotic resistance evolved naturally long before modern antibiotics and highlighting the dual risks and opportunities of melting ice for public health and drug discovery.
A UW–Madison-led study compared a E. coli–T7 phage clash on Earth and in microgravity aboard the ISS. In space, phages infect more slowly but still acquire mutations that improve their ability to bind bacterial receptors, while the bacteria develop space-specific defenses—demonstrating space-driven evolutionary paths that could inform phage-based strategies against drug‑resistant pathogens on Earth.
A study aboard the International Space Station finds that bacteriophages and their bacterial hosts evolve and infect differently in microgravity, with slower infection and distinct mutation trajectories, suggesting space-driven biology could help engineer more potent phages against drug-resistant pathogens on Earth.
The article features insights from microbiologists worldwide about the future of microbiology, highlighting a blend of challenges and optimism that promises an exciting new era driven by creativity and innovation.
The article explores how ecological competition, including nutrient and interference competition via bacterial toxins, influences strain displacement in microbiomes, supported by mathematical modeling and experiments with engineered and natural E. coli strains, highlighting the importance of private nutrients and interference mechanisms for successful invasion and displacement within diverse bacterial communities.
The study finds that phages with broad host ranges are common across various ecosystems, supported by extensive metagenomic data and advanced genomic analysis pipelines, highlighting their ecological significance and diversity.
Researchers discovered a bacteria, RSW1, capable of simultaneously performing aerobic and anaerobic respiration, using oxygen and sulfur compounds at the same time, which may provide insights into microbial evolution during Earth's oxygenation events.
A geologist discovered the world's oldest water, over 2.6 billion years old, deep in a Canadian mine, which showed signs of ancient microbial life and was surprisingly salty and bitter when tasted.
The article argues that microbiology should be a mandatory prerequisite for medical students to ensure they have a solid foundation in understanding pathogens, antimicrobial resistance, and infectious diseases, which are crucial across all medical fields and especially vital in the context of rising antimicrobial resistance and recent pandemics.
Scientists have discovered Sukunaarchaeum mirabile, a unique organism that blurs the line between viruses and cellular life, with a minimal genome and dependence on hosts, challenging traditional definitions of life and offering new insights into microbial evolution.
Scientists in Canada and Japan discovered Sukunaarchaeum mirabile, an organism that blurs the line between virus and living cell, challenging traditional definitions of life and offering new insights into microbial evolution and the origins of life.
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology have discovered new mitochondria-like symbionts that live inside ciliates and perform unique metabolic functions, including nitrate respiration. These symbionts, found globally in various environments, have expanded to include new species capable of both anaerobic and aerobic respiration. This discovery has significant implications for understanding microbial evolution and the nitrogen cycle, as these symbionts can impact nutrient removal and greenhouse gas production.