A giant virus wags its tail
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa oceanographers have identified PelV-1, a dinoflagellate-infecting giant virus whose micron-length tail reaches 2.3 µm, stretching current notions of viral architecture.
Cell & Microbiology news
Napoleon's doomed retreat: DNA from Vilnius mass grave reveals signs of foodborne and lice-borne fever
Institut Pasteur and partner institutions report genetic evidence of Salmonella enterica lineage Para C and Borrelia recurrentis in Napoleonic soldiers from Vilnius, indicating paratyphoid fever and louse-borne relapsing ...
Scientists shrink the genetic code of E. coli to contain only 57 of its usual 64 codons
The DNA of nearly all life on Earth contains many redundancies, and scientists have long wondered whether these redundancies served a purpose or if they were just leftovers from evolutionary processes. Both DNA and RNA contain ...
Kinase enzymes exist throughout tree of life—those found in bacteria may be vulnerable targets for new antibiotics
Enzymes known as kinases play a critical role in cell growth, metabolism and signaling in a multitude of organisms across the tree of life—from algae to helminths to mammals. Now, scientists have developed an atlas of bacterial ...
At the frontier between two lives—the evolutionary origins of pregnancy
An international research team led by scientists from the University of Vienna has uncovered new insights into how specialized cell types and communication networks at the interface between mother and fetus evolved over millions ...
Evolution
Jul 3, 2025
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Certain species of microbe found in the human gut can absorb PFAS
PFAS have been linked with a range of health issues including decreased fertility, developmental delays in children, and a higher risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases.
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 1, 2025
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Scientists discover unknown organelle inside our cells
The discovery of an unknown organelle inside our cells could open the door to new treatments for devastating inherited diseases.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 25, 2025
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Large yeast clusters generate natural circulatory flows through metabolic activity to bypass diffusion limits
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and India's National Center for Biological Sciences have found that yeast clusters, when grown beyond a certain size, spontaneously generate fluid flows powerful enough to ...
Synthetic 'killswitch' uncovers hidden world of cellular condensates
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics have developed a novel synthetic micropeptide termed the "killswitch" to selectively immobilize proteins within cellular condensates, unveiling crucial connections ...
Sea spiders found farming methane-eating microbes in cultivated biofilm
A research team led by Occidental College has identified a previously unknown symbiosis; deep sea spiders that cultivate and feed on bacteria that oxidize methane.
