Research news on bacteria

Bacteria are a major domain of prokaryotic microorganisms characterized by the absence of a membrane-bound nucleus, typically possessing a single circular chromosome, 70S ribosomes, and peptidoglycan-containing cell walls. They exhibit diverse morphologies (e.g., cocci, bacilli, spirilla) and metabolic strategies, including aerobic, anaerobic, phototrophic, chemolithotrophic, and heterotrophic lifestyles. Bacteria reproduce primarily by binary fission and undergo extensive horizontal gene transfer via transformation, transduction, and conjugation, driving rapid adaptation. They occupy virtually all ecological niches, form complex communities such as biofilms, and play central roles in biogeochemical cycles, host-associated microbiomes, biotechnology, and pathogenesis research.

Invertebrates can distinguish good from bad bacteria

Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Kiel University (CAU) have examined immune system function in an early-branching animal—a sea anemone. They discovered that the immune systems of these animals ...

Antibiotic resistant gene found in Australian soil

A new study published in Nature Communications reveals a hidden source of antibiotic resistance, providing an early warning sign for researchers and public health officials.

How bacteria sacrifice themselves to render antibiotics ineffective

Bacteria can defend themselves against antibiotics with the help of an enzyme released by dying cells, according to a study by a team from the Institute for Biological Physics at the University of Cologne and Wageningen University ...

New genomic method to track disease outbreaks globally

Phylo-Plex, a new computational method, has been developed by Wellcome Sanger Institute scientists and their collaborators to allow cost-effective and scalable DNA sequencing of pathogens in laboratories with limited resources. ...

South African fynbos soil delivers a new species of soil bacterium

Microbiologists from Stellenbosch University in South Africa have discovered a previously unknown bacterial genus within the phylum Acidobacteriota. It is the first genus from this phylum to be described from Southern Africa.

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