Noteworthy — Bacterial genomes are not a laundry list of genes, but dynamic structures intimately connected with cellular function. As a result, natural selection has a heavy hand in shaping chromosomal architecture – the position of genes within chromosomes – into configurations that best coordinate gene expression. Read more →
A Most Useful Light Switch
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 →
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 →
Pseudouridine Stabilizes tRNA
Noteworthy — The modified nucleoside pseudouridine has many reasons to be considered a star among post-transcriptional RNA modifications. It was the first to be identified, in 1960. Incorporating it into mRNA vaccines was a big reason for their success. And it also shows up in numerous antibiotics. Now there's more. Read more →
Living Construction Materials
Noteworthy — The production of cement – used as a binder in concrete – has a high carbon footprint, accounting for 5%–8% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. The search for alternative materials with reduced impact on global warming has come up with some interesting options. 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 →
Promising New Antimicrobials
Noteworthy — Amid the turmoil and uncertainty of our times, one fact is undeniable: microbes continue to evolve. 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 →
Novel Fungus-Cyanobacterium Symbiosis
Noteworthy — Fungi are wonderfully diverse and versatile microorganisms. And it is perhaps this versatility that makes them so adept at forming symbiotic relationships with other organisms. Mycorrhizae or endophytic fungi, for example, inhabit plant tissues where they reside within or between plant cells. Read more →
Making a Living in the Nucleus
Noteworthy — When it comes to intracellular pathogens, we usually think of those that remain inside a membrane-enclosed vacuole and those that escape into the cytoplasm. Much rarer are cases of parasite that make a living inside the nucleus. Read more →