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.
Just like every other creature, bacteria have evolved creative ways of getting around. Sometimes this is easy, like swimming in open water, but navigating more confined spaces poses different challenges.
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 15, 2026
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Cholera remains a major global public health challenge, with an estimated 1.3 to 4 million cases and tens of thousands of deaths reported worldwide each year. Caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, the disease spreads primarily ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 15, 2026
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Disinfecting drinking water prevents the spread of deadly waterborne diseases by killing infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses and parasites. Without disinfection, even clear-looking water can carry pathogens that can ...
Environment
Jan 15, 2026
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In a new study, terrestrial bacteria-infecting viruses were still able to infect their E. coli hosts in near-weightless "microgravity" conditions aboard the International Space Station, but the dynamics of virus-bacteria ...
Astrobiology
Jan 13, 2026
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Bacteria can sneakily evade our best efforts at eradication by developing resistance to various pressures in their environment, for example, antibiotic-resistant bacteria stubbornly survive the usual deadly effects of antibiotics. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 13, 2026
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"The UN estimates that by 2050, common bacterial infections could kill more people than cancer," says Arnold Mathijssen, a biophysicist at the University of Pennsylvania who studies how active particles like bacteria move ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 12, 2026
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Scientists have uncovered a new explanation for how swimming bacteria change direction, providing fresh insight into one of biology's most intensively studied molecular machines.
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 9, 2026
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Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), with collaborators from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), have discovered how a key protein in the tuberculosis bacterium helps protect it from the influence ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 9, 2026
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Drugs that act against bacteria are mainly assessed based on how well they inhibit bacterial growth under laboratory conditions. A critical factor, however, is whether the active substances actually kill the pathogens in ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 9, 2026
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244
Microbes often display cooperative behavior in which individual cells put in work and sacrifice resources to collectively benefit the group. But sometimes, "cheater" cells in the group may reap the benefits of this cooperation ...
Evolution
Jan 8, 2026
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