Microbes

  1. Microbes

    This microbe makes a meal of plastic

    A newly identified bacterium can break down plastic waste.

    By Sarah Schwartz
  2. Microbes

    Diverse yeasts make their home on coffee and cacao beans

    Yeasts in coffee and cacao are shaped by geography and human migration, genetic analysis finds.

    By Helen Thompson
  3. Microbes

    Missing gut microbes linked to childhood malnutrition

    The right mix of gut microbes could prevent kids from succumbing to malnutrition.

    By Meghan Rosen
  4. Microbes

    Microbe mix varies by kind of home

    Urban homes hold more human-associated bacteria compared with rural homes. Subdivided houses with lots of rooms and poor ventilation could be to blame.

    By Meghan Rosen
  5. Microbes

    Cyanobacteria use their whole bodies as eyeballs

    Little spheres of cyanobacteria cells roughly focus light on sensitive compounds that let them walk in the right direction.

    By Susan Milius
  6. Animals

    Microbes may help bears stay healthy when fat for hibernation

    Brown bears fatten up for hibernation without suffering from weight-related problems. A new study shows that their gut microbes may help.

    By Sarah Zielinski
  7. Microbes

    Random changes in behavior speed bacteria evolution

    Microbes can speed up evolution by changing phenotypes.

    By Chris Samoray
  8. Genetics

    Bubonic plague hung out in Europe

    The plague bacterium Yersinia pestis may have lurked in a medieval European reservoir for at least 300 years, researchers from Germany suggest January 13 in PLOS ONE.

    By Helen Thompson
  9. Genetics

    Bubonic plague hung around in Europe

    DNA from plague victims suggests that a European reservoir of the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis could have fueled the medieval pandemic.

    By Helen Thompson
  10. Genetics

    The Iceman tells a new tale: Infection with ulcer-causing bacteria

    Ötzi the Iceman was infected with a virulent strain of H. pylori. A new study is the first to piece together an ancient genome of these bacteria.

    By Meghan Rosen
  11. Microbes

    Get to know your microbes at ‘The Secret World Inside You’

    The American Museum of Natural History’s newest exhibit rehabilitates bacteria’s bad reputation and introduces visitors to the microbiome.

    By Devin Powell
  12. Paleontology

    Bubbles may have sheltered Earth’s early life

    Bubbles formed on ancient shorelines offer scientists a new place to look for traces of early life.

    By Meghan Rosen