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Microbiology
111 articles-
How Moss Fights Crime
Even tiny bits of an unassuming carpet of plant matter can be enough to lead investigators to a suspect -
From Deep Blue Mud, Unexpected Life Emerges
Surprise biology in deep-sea mud volcanoes -
Witness the Rare Birth of a Water Bear
A vulnerable moment for one of Earth’s most resilient creatures -
What to Know About Mirror Life
Some scientists want to create a biological Bizarro World—is it safe? -
Sugar, the Secret Plant Thermostat
It could help plants grow at temperature extremes -
A Rogue New Life Form
A tiny microbe discovered by accident challenges the definition of cellular life -
These “Junk” Proteins May Fuel Adaptation
And they could help some creatures adjust to changing climates -
Viruses That Roam the Fungal Kingdom
Mushrooms and other fungi can harbor hidden companions—and some of these may fight pesky or dangerous molds -
Nice Microbes Finish First
Aggression doesn’t always pay in dynamic microcosms -
The Ecosystem Dynamics That Can Make or Break an Invasion
By simulating ecological networks with microbes, researchers revealed properties that may make natural communities susceptible to invasion
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Hunting For the Grandma of All Eukaryotes
The origins of life may lie in a mysterious life form at the bottom of the sea
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Your Dishwasher Could Harbor the Next Chonkus
Scientists want your help identifying marvelous new extremophiles
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Why Germs Love Our Collective Amnesia
Author Thomas Levenson on writing his new book So Very Small about humanity’s struggle to accept germs’ threats
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The Animals That Exist Between Life and Death
At the dawn of microbiology, scientists glimpsed unseen worlds and stumbled into a philosophical purgatory
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The Incredible Conundrum of Life’s Origin
How to solve biology’s chicken-or-egg dilemma -
Medicine Is Going Viral
Once lost in scientific obscurity, bacteriophage therapy is making a comeback. -
Your Cells Are Dying. All The Time.
Some go gently into the night. Others die in freak accidents or deadly invasions, or after a showy display. -
The Bacteria That Revolutionized the World
How cyanobacteria killed one climate and created our habitable Earth. -
The Speediest Creatures on Earth
How tiny one-celled protists pull off their strange and marvelous feats.