Bacterial restriction-modification systems are responsible for protecting cells from foreign genetic material, for example, bacteriophages and plasmids. Immune systems require strict regulation, as bacteria, like humans, ...
Biological entities called obelisks have been hiding—in large numbers—inside the human mouth and gut. These microscopic entities, which were recently discovered by a team at Stanford University, are circular bits of genetic ...
Bacteria of the genus Shigella, closely related to the well-known Escherichia coli, are the second most common cause of fatal bacterial diarrheal diseases, with over 200,000 victims worldwide every year. There are repeated ...
If you still remember that "Dear King Phillip Came Over For Good Spaghetti," you'll likely also recall the corresponding taxonomic ranks of biology: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. The domains ...
"What doesn't kill me makes me stronger," originally coined by Friedrich Nietzsche in 1888, is a perfect description of how bacteria develop antibiotic resistance.
Scientists have identified the source of antibiotic resistance that emerged within bacteria driving the ongoing Yemen cholera epidemic.
The hereditary molecule DNA can store a great deal of information over long periods of time in a very small space. For a good 10 years, scientists have therefore been pursuing the goal of developing DNA chips for computer ...
Imagine using insects as a source of chemicals to make plastics that can biodegrade later—with the help of that very same type of bug. That concept is closer to reality than you might expect. Researchers describe their ...
Many diseases can be successfully treated in the simple environment of a cell culture dish, but to successfully treat real people, the drug agent has to take a journey through the infinitely more complex environment within ...
Synthetic biologists have become increasingly creative in engineering yeast or bacteria to churn out useful chemicals—from fuels to fabrics and drugs—beyond the normal repertoire of microbes.
