Microbes

More Stories in Microbes

  1. An illustration of Candida auris. Appears as purple bubbles on a dark blue background.
    Health & Medicine

    U.S. cases of a deadly fungus nearly doubled in recent years

    Though numbers are still small, clinical cases of Candida auris in the jumped 95 percent from 2020 to 2021, a CDC survey finds.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  2. fungi growing on wood
    Life

    Chemical signals from fungi tell bark beetles which trees to infest

    As fungi break down defensive chemicals in trees, some byproducts act as signals to bark beetle pests, telling them which trees are most vulnerable.

    By Freda Kreier
  3. A still image from the television show The Last of Us showing a human body that has been completely covered by an orange fungus attached to a gray wall.
    Life

    Fungi don’t turn humans into zombies. But The Last of Us gets some science right

    Fungi like those in the post-apocalyptic TV show are real. But humans’ body temperature and brain chemistry may protect us from zombifying fungi.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  4. Round Emiliania huxleyi cells, some clustered around smaller rod-shaped bacteria, consuming them
    Microbes

    Some ‘friendly’ bacteria backstab their algal pals. Now we know why

    The friendly relationship between Emiliana huxleyi and Roseobacter turns deadly when the bacteria get a whiff of the algae’s aging-related chemicals.

    By Elise Cutts
  5. Three Halteria ciliates shown on a blue background
    Microbes

    Scientists have found the first known microbes that can eat only viruses

    Lab experiments show that Halteria ciliates can chow down solely on viruses. Whether these “virovores” do the same in the wild is unclear.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  6. A collection of different cheeses stacked in a pile with a black background.
    Microbes

    Meet some of the microbes that give cheeses flavor

    Knowing which genus of bacteria is responsible for which flavor could open the door to new types of cheese.

    By Allie Wilkinson
  7. photo of someone pulling a pint of beer
    Microbes

    The ancestor to modern brewing yeast has been found hiding in Ireland

    Previously found in Patagonia and elsewhere, the brewing yeast Saccharomyces eubayanus has been found in Europe for the first time.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  8. A photo of Louis Pasteur's head surrounded by illustrations of scientific equipment, leaves, and swirls
    Health & Medicine

    Louis Pasteur’s devotion to truth transformed what we know about health and disease

    Two centuries after his birth, Louis Pasteur's work on pasteurization, germ theory and vaccines is as relevant as ever.

    By Tom Siegfried
  9. A photo of a researcher looking at a clear petri dish with blue dots on it.
    Health & Medicine

    Here’s how mysterious last-resort antibiotics kill bacteria

    Scientists are finally getting a grip on how a class of last-resort antibiotics works — the drugs kill bacteria by crystallizing their membranes.

    By Elise Cutts