Microbes

More Stories in Microbes

  1. Brood X cicadas on a leaf
    Animals

    Cicada science heats up when Brood X emerges. 2021 was no exception

    Mating mobs of big, hapless, 17-year-old cicadas made for a memorable spring in the Eastern United States

    By Susan Milius
  2. image of vulture bees on a piece of chicken
    Animals

    Gut bacteria let vulture bees eat rotting flesh without getting sick

    Acid-producing bacteria in the gut of vulture bees let these “weirdos of the bee world” safely snack on animal carcasses.

    By Sharon Oosthoek
  3. image of hands holding a pile of soil
    Life

    Fungi may be crucial to storing carbon in soil as the Earth warms

    Fungi help soil-making bacteria churn out carbon compounds that are resilient to heat, keeping those compounds in the ground, a study suggests.

    By Freda Kreier
  4. image of Tyson Bottenus holding the helm of a boat with a spin effect
    Microbes

    A sailor’s story captures the impact of rising serious fungal infections

    Fungal infections are hard to diagnose, hard to treat and are on the rise. A young sailor is staying positive to navigate the challenges.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  5. illustration of coronaviruses
    Microbes

    Are viruses alive, not alive or something in between? And why does it matter?

    The way we talk about viruses can shift scientific research and our understanding of evolution.

    By Megan Scudellari
  6. Marguerite Vogt in a lab at the Salk Institute
    Health & Medicine

    By taking on poliovirus, Marguerite Vogt transformed the study of all viruses

    She pioneered the field of molecular virology with her meticulous lab work and “green thumb” for tissue culture.

    By Megan Scudellari
  7. orange and pink soft coral
    Life

    Probiotics help lab corals survive deadly heat stress

    In a lab experiment, probiotics prevented the death of corals under heat stress, suggesting beneficial microbes could help save ailing reefs.

    By Jonathan Lambert
  8. picture of a green caterpillar-like creature walking across a leaf
    Animals

    Viruses can kill wasp larvae that grow inside infected caterpillars

    Proteins found in viruses and some moths can protect caterpillars from parasitoid wasps seeking a living nursery for their eggs.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  9. microscope image of archaea
    Paleontology

    3.42-billion-year-old fossil threads may be the oldest known archaea microbes

    The structure and chemistry of these ancient cell-like fossils may hint where Earth’s early inhabitants evolved and how they got their energy.

    By Carolyn Wilke