https://phys.org/biology-news/microbiology/ en-us The latest science news on microbiology and cell biology. Researchers from Ruhr University Bochum have partnered with colleagues in Göttingen, Berlin, Paris and Essen to develop new optogenetic tools that can selectively inhibit cellular activity through light. These tools could help investigate diseases in which the balance between excitation and inhibition is disrupted, such as cardiac arrhythmias. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-optogenetic-tool-inhibits-neurons-heart.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:20:01 EDT news711814801 Why has the yeast Candida auris become a dangerous pathogen worldwide in just a few years? This question is on the minds of many researchers. Carla Schuh and Chaitanya Gokhale from the Biocentre at the University of Würzburg have now summarized the current state of knowledge in a review article in the journal mSphere. To that end, they analyzed around 180 studies by other researchers. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-candida-auris-harbinger-dangerous-fungal.html Evolution Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:00:01 EDT news711814201 Clostridium botulinum bacteria produce a potent neurotoxin called botulinum toxin, which causes the serious illness botulism. The toxin attacks the nervous system, leaving the body unable to control its muscles and making every breath a struggle. Without immediate treatment, botulism can be fatal. Humans, however, have managed to domesticate this dangerous bacterium to do their bidding. Over more than 90 years, biologists have been able to turn a wild microbe into an efficient factory for medical, military and cosmetic products like Botox. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-humans-domesticated-bacterium-botox-treatments.html Evolution Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:50:01 EDT news711814360 Bacteria and the viruses that infect them—known as phages—coexist in soils, oceans and living organisms. Scientists have long thought this coexistence reflects a microscopic version of an evolutionary arms race: As parasites and hosts continually adapt to one another, both evolve ways to survive. But a joint study by researchers at the University of Maryland and the University of Exeter shows different pathways to coexistence. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-scientists-migration-mechanism-enabling-bacteria.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:00:52 EDT news711792422 Whenever a cell divides, it has to split its chromosomes perfectly between two daughter cells, and even a single mistake can be disastrous. Now, researchers from Japan have found that one of the key structures that makes this possible takes a surprising shape: a hollow sphere. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-chromosome-anchors-hollow-shells-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 14:00:19 EDT news711712921 Many structures in biology are bounded by membranes, but not all of them. Droplets of a liquid called a coacervate, which form when oppositely charged molecules come together in water, have attracted attention as models for membraneless compartments inside cells and for "protocells," hypothetical primitive cells that may have preceded modern ones. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-liquid-membranes-flex-easily-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:20:14 EDT news711795842 Moderately cold temperatures have proven to effectively extend lifespan and delay age-related decline in animals. However, how cold temperatures trigger these beneficial effects at the molecular level has remained largely unclear. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-newly-metabolic-pathway-cold-lifespan.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:00:34 EDT news711734162 Earlier this year, an outbreak of Andes hantavirus on a cruise ship, which killed three passengers and sickened 13, highlighted the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the virus. In a study published in Nature, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and collaborators from Institut Pasteur and LSU Health Shreveport show how the virus recognizes its target on a human cell, a finding that could lead to effective therapies against Andes virus and other hantaviruses. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-scientists-reveal-deadly-andes-hantavirus.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:00:15 EDT news711712681 Bacteria get a bad reputation—with all the outbreaks, infections and deaths. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-infections-bacteria-reveal-medicines-crops.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 09:40:13 EDT news711785956 The oxygen in about every other breath we take comes from microscopic cells—phytoplankton—drifting in the surface of the ocean. Among them is Prochlorococcus, the smallest and most abundant photosynthetic organism in the seas. It single-handedly accounts for roughly 10% of all the carbon that the land and the oceans pull from the atmosphere each year. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ocean-abundant-loner-microbe-sticky.html Ecology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 09:00:06 EDT news711791161 Researchers at Uppsala University have adapted Cell Painting, a widely used imaging method in drug discovery, to look at individual cells inside small 3D clusters of cancer cells. Two drugs that looked almost identical in ordinary flat cell cultures behaved differently in 3D, and the team linked the difference to how each drug switches on the cell's p53 stress response. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-transparent-minispheres-reveal-alike-cancer.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 21 Oct 2026 05:00:02 EDT news711713161 Male seahorses, fishes that belong to the Syngnathidae family, show a distinctive reproductive strategy in which males carry developing embryos in a brood pouch. Their most distinctive feature is the brood pouch on the ventral side of the male fish, into which the female fish transfers her eggs. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-male-seahorse-pouch-proteins-toxic.html Plants & Animals Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:40:02 EDT news711726601 Every cell in the human body faces a chronic challenge: protecting its DNA. Whenever cells divide, their genetic material must be copied accurately. But DNA is continuously under attack, and when damage goes unrepaired, it can threaten genome stability and contribute to the progression of disease. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-unraveling-dna-cells-genetic-blueprint.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:00:01 EDT news711716162 According to a study conducted by researchers at Sultan Qaboos University, the material used to support microbial biofilms could influence their potential role in treating water generated during oil production. The research was led by Ph.D. candidate Arwa Al-Hadhrami under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Blackburn and conducted by a Sultan Qaboos University team representing the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences and the Water Research Center, Oman. The results are published in Environmental Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-wood-home-oil-degrading-microbes.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:40:16 EDT news711701111 By turning a patient's own immune cells into stronger cancer-fighting cells, CAR T-cell therapy has transformed how some blood cancers are treated. But it's been harder to extend this approach to solid tumors, including cancer that has spread to the bone. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-added-receptor-car-cells-stay.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:00:01 EDT news711700391 If you've ever created a snowflake by folding, cutting and unfolding a piece of paper, you've practiced the art of kirigami. Like origami, kirigami has inspired innovations far beyond the elementary school classroom, with applications ranging from deployable structures for spacecraft to semiconductors. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-4d-biofabrication-technology-tissue-wound.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:40:12 EDT news711648422 Cells constantly recycle proteins and other cellular components. But how do they ensure that the right cargo ends up in the right recycling vesicle—one of the cell's transport carriers? A team at the University of Basel has identified a molecular switch that controls this process. The small protein ARF-1 ensures that recyclable cargo is efficiently loaded into transport vesicles and returned to the cell's surface. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-molecular-cells-cargo-recycling.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:40:08 EDT news711648481 The fusion of two cells is a decisive event in the sexual reproduction of many organisms. In fungi, cells must not only bring their membranes together and merge them, but also locally open their protective cell wall. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-enzymes-locally-block-cell-wall.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 19 Oct 2026 17:00:08 EDT news711644461 The Cambrian explosion was a major diversification of animal life that unfolded early in the Cambrian period, which began around 538.8 million years ago. During this interval, marine animals became much more varied, building the foundations for current marine ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-algae-fossils-cambrian-explosion-hint.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 19 Oct 2026 10:30:01 EDT news711620351 What if the brain evolved to serve the gut? Scientists at Flinders University are challenging a cornerstone of biology, arguing that the gut's nervous system may be the body's original "brain," with the brain evolving later to support its needs. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-evolved-brain-gut.html Evolution Mon, 19 Oct 2026 09:40:06 EDT news711610332 Humans throughout history have invented a variety of ways to fight back against troublesome bacteria. But bacteria live in a dangerous world too. The human body and other bacteria-rich environments abound with bacteriophages, or viruses that prey upon bacteria. Phages can sometimes outnumber bacteria a hundredfold, yet the bacteria endure and even thrive. What gives? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-bacteria-survive-world-full-killer.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 19 Oct 2026 09:20:08 EDT news711618962 DNA is not randomly distributed within the nucleus but is packaged with proteins into chromatin, which is precisely folded into complex three-dimensional structures. However, scientists have not fully understood how this complex three-dimensional (3D) organization is regulated or how it changes over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-spatial-genomics-tool-range-dna.html Cell & Microbiology Sun, 18 Oct 2026 16:00:02 EDT news711209463 Scientists know a great deal about how lions hunt, breed and survive, but the microscopic communities living inside them have remained largely unexplored. Now, a study of wild lions in Namibia is beginning to change that, while revealing how much biology is still missing from the world's genomic databases. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-lion-yield-previously-unknown-microbial.html Ecology Sun, 18 Oct 2026 08:00:01 EDT news711199822 Ever wonder what goes on inside the brain of a worm—how it processes information, responds to stimuli and perceives the world around it? Northeastern University researchers have opened up that can of worms, specifically the one containing C. elegans, a tiny roundworm that's one of the most extensively studied animals in biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-worm-brain-sex-differences-nervous.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 17 Oct 2026 17:20:01 EDT news711373421 When someone is badly injured, doctors urgently need two facts: the patient's blood type, so that a transfusion is safe, and their hematocrit, the share of the blood made up of red blood cells, which reveals blood loss or anemia. Hospitals measure both with large machines that need electricity and trained staff, which are often unavailable in ambulances, disaster zones or remote clinics. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-cranked-device-blood-red-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Sat, 17 Oct 2026 12:00:01 EDT news711200507 Every time a tissue grows or renews itself, cells must divide inside an already crowded environment. That creates a fundamental problem that scientists have not fully understood: How does a tightly packed sheet of cells make room for two daughter cells when there was once only one? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-scientists-cell-division-cells-reshape.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 16 Oct 2026 18:20:01 EDT news711373576 With up to 75% of the world's soils degraded, restoration projects try to reestablish functional and biodiverse environments to secure adequate food production, biodiversity, climate regulation and human well-being. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-replanted-landscapes-soil-fungi-lag.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 16 Oct 2026 14:40:17 EDT news711369123 From the hairs on our arms to the microscopic sensory structures of the inner ear, many tissues in the body are built with a clear sense of direction. To build these structures throughout development, individual cells must establish which way they are facing—and coordinate that orientation with cells around them. If they get this wrong, tissues may fail to form, form improperly or fail to function. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-cell-movement-tissues-polarity.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 16 Oct 2026 14:40:08 EDT news711367029 As an embryo develops from a small cluster of stem cells, those once "blank slate" cells begin to take on more specialized roles like brain, liver or muscle cells and organize themselves into three-dimensional structures such as tissues and organs. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-reveals-language-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 16 Oct 2026 11:20:12 EDT news711364201 In a study of fingertip regeneration, a team led by JAX senior research scientist James Godwin found that some immune cells in mice can attack and kill cells needed to rebuild bone, while a subset of those same immune cells can protect the bone-making cells and allow regeneration to continue. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-immune-cells-play-opposing-roles.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 16 Oct 2026 11:00:05 EDT news711362122