Noteworthy — Phytoplankton, photosynthetic microbes that inhabit surface ocean waters, form the base of marine food webs. These keystone microbes are the oceans' primary producers. Importantly, their ability to carry out photosynthesis depends on their ability to make chlorophyll. Read more →
Zombie Ants and the Evolution of Mind Control
by Clio Morata de Jong and Nico Morales — In the realm of natural mind control, few phenomena are as gripping – literally – as the death grip of the parasitic fungus in the genus Ophiocordyceps. This fungus doesn't just kill its carpenter ant hosts; it transforms them into instruments of fungal propagation. Read more →
CRISPR-Based Metabarcoding
Noteworthy — Microbes are abundant and very diverse. But acknowledging their significance in our biosphere has taken time and relied on curiosity, hard work, and the development of technologies to access, identify, and study microbial communities. Read more →
Evolution of Ant-Fungus Farming
by Mechas — Agriculture has triggered enormous changes in human society. But it is not unique to humans. Read more →
Of Aerobes and Anaerobes
Noteworthy — When first introduced to microbes, we quickly learn to divide them into aerobes and anaerobes. Then we qualify those titles with modifiers to yield such classes as facultative anaerobes, obligate aerobes and strict anaerobes. Read more →
Anticipating Seasons
Noteworthy — While plants and animals can measure differences in the length of days and nights bacteria, with their short life spans, would not be expected to do so. Read more →
Our Built Environment Microbiomes
by Mechas — There is no doubt that our understanding of microbiomes – those microbial communities in practically any environment – has increased in recent years. Research now covers almost any conceivable niches, from cow rumen or the human gut, to numerous human-made ecosystems. Read more →
A Fungus that Reduces Methane Emissions
Noteworthy — We face unprecedented rising global temperatures, a crisis driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels. But other sectors, like the livestock industry, also contribute by producing large amounts of greenhouse gases. Read more →
Enter the Pirates
by Christoph — Microbiologists know of only a small number of genuine rapacious bacterial species. In scientific terms, they are referred to as "predatory bacteria". Well-known examples are Myxococcus xanthus and its ilk, which practice "wolf pack" swarm hunting, and the more solitary vampires from the Bdellovibrio tribe. Enter the pirates with Captain Aureispira… Read more →
Bdellovibrio–Prey Interactions
Noteworthy — The environmental bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is unique in its capacity to prey and feed on other bacteria. This predatory behavior involves attaching and entering prey cells to consume and grow on cytoplasmic macromolecules, eventually lysing the host. But how do these bacterial predators recognize and invade their prey? Read more →