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.
A new study has for the first time elucidated the gut-liver immune regulatory axis jointly maintained by intestinal commensal bacteria and the intestinal endocrine system, and uncovered the fundamental mechanism underlying ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 20, 2026
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When bacteria cells replicate, they do so a little differently than human cells do. They don't undergo mitosis, a splitting that involves construction of spindles to carefully separate the DNA after replication. Instead, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 20, 2026
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A newly identified disease affecting corn and sorghum can closely resemble iron deficiency, potentially leading farmers to apply costly nutrient treatments that do not address the underlying problem. New research published ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 19, 2026
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The trajectory of base editing has been remarkable, progressing from the laboratory to patient care, treating debilitating or terminal illnesses, in less than a decade. A type of gene editing that makes chemical changes to ...
Biotechnology
Mar 18, 2026
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At Empa, an interdisciplinary research institute for materials science and technology within the ETH Domain, researchers are working on ways to kill harmful bacteria and viruses. In the Nanomaterials in Health Lab, headed ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 17, 2026
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According to WHO, approximately 6% of the worldwide population who contract COVID-19—some 400 million people—go on to develop a long-lasting form of the disease. These figures demonstrate that the persistent form of the disease ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 17, 2026
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17
Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have uncovered how the bacteria that causes tuberculosis fuels itself during infection, providing new insights into one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 17, 2026
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Nanobodies—miniature proteins—derived from camel antibodies demonstrated powerful potential to accurately and safely deliver radioisotopes as specialized cancer treatments in a project at ORNL.
Bio & Medicine
Mar 16, 2026
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10
The genomes of phages—viruses that infect bacteria—are largely composed of "dark matter": genes that encode proteins whose functions remain unknown. Less than four years ago, a team led by Prof. Rotem Sorek at the Weizmann ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 16, 2026
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12
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a rapid and cost-efficient sequencing method that can identify antibiotic resistance within the same working day. The technique, called s5PSeq, measures how bacterial ribosomes ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 16, 2026
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