microbes
Purely physical and chemical processes can deceive us into thinking that life is present, when it actually is not.
There is no rule that will force Omicron or another COVID variant to become less deadly over time, but there is reason for hope.
When we try to recreate simpler versions of natural ecosystems, we invariably make mistakes, argues author and biologist Rob Dunn.
Linguistic laws are remarkably versatile and have applications in ecology, microbiology, epidemiology, demographics, and geography.
Smallpox, Ebola, HIV, influenza, the plague, malaria, and a whole host of terrible bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites were cooked up by Mother Nature, all on her own. Apparently, Mother Nature hasn't banned gain-of-function research.
Three cutting-edge techniques – the gene-editing tool CRISPR, fluorescent proteins and optogenetics – were all inspired by nature.
Scientists discover surviving viruses in 15,000-year-old glacier ice on the Tibetan Plateau in China.
Gain-of-function mutation research may help predict the next pandemic — or, critics argue, cause one.
Smallpox was nothing new in 1721.
When facing a predator, single cells sometimes unite to defend themselves, paving the way for more complex multicellular life forms to evolve.
Researchers develop a fungus that kills mites that contribute to honey bee Colony Collapse Disorder.
Is working from home the ultimate liberation or the first step toward an even unhappier "new normal"?
Healthy people need healthy microbiomes from an early age.
Counterintuitively, directly combating misinformation online can spread it further. A different approach is needed.
A newly discovered coronavirus — but not the one that causes COVID-19 — has made some dogs very sick.
Children with pre-existing mental health issues thrived during the early phase of the pandemic.
Three lines of evidence point to the idea of complex, multicellular alien life being a wild goose chase. But are we clever enough to know?
The results could help NASA's Perseverance rover find evidence of ancient life on Mars.
Researchers analyze prehistoric viruses in animals dug out from the Siberian permafrost.
The organisms were anchored to a boulder 900 meters beneath the ice, living a cold, dark existence miles away from the open ocean.
For the first time, it was discovered that nonphotosynthetic bacteria have a circadian clock.
A new study finds that dogs fed fresh human-grade food don't need to eat—or do their business—as much.
How do these little beasties detect light anyway?
A new study suggests that maintaining gut health to avoid diabetes may be little simpler than previously believed.
Another amazing tardigrade survival skill is discovered.
The microbes that eventually produced the planet's oxygen had to breathe something, after all.
The images were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and show how prolific coronavirus can become in a mere four days.
Carbon locked in soils can be emitted by bacteria. Turning up the heat on them releases more carbon.