https://phys.org/biology-news/microbiology/ en-us The latest science news on microbiology and cell biology. 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 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 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 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 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 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 Skeletal muscles grow and regenerate as individual precursor cells—called myoblasts—fuse into long fibers from which mature muscle fibers develop. How they coordinate this process and form functional muscles is not yet fully understood. A research team at the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin (MPZPM) has now shown that mechanical stress influences the fusion of muscle cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-strength-mechanical-muscle.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 16 Oct 2026 09:40:02 EDT news711361801 Bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria, have a fiendishly simple purpose in life: attach to a bacterial cell, inject their DNA and then use the host's genetic machinery to reproduce. In doing so, they may have evolved some of the most efficient gene-editing tools ever seen in nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-molecular-snapshots-reveal-viral-enzymes.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 15 Oct 2026 17:00:01 EDT news711293581 Limbs evolved as a means of locomotion. From the primitive rotating flagella of bacteria to the wings of flies and even our own legs, animals use these appendages to travel to find food or mates or escape predators. But in countless species across the animal kingdom, limbs are repurposed to create elaborate social displays: Birds of paradise fan out their wings and hop around in courtship dances, while crabs wave their claws to communicate to potential mating partners. As humans, we use our limbs to dance, gesture while talking, wield tools and conduct a remarkable diversity of behaviors. How does the brain control and coordinate its body parts for such distinct purposes? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-brain-circuits-fruit-flies-wing.html Plants & Animals Thu, 15 Oct 2026 15:40:18 EDT news711292582 When corals are stressed by pollution, high water temperatures or other environmental changes, they can lose the microscopic algae living inside them and on which they depend for food. As a result, they turn white, a phenomenon known as coral bleaching. They will not die straight away, but it will be game over if the stress continues long enough for them to starve. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-coral-fusion-reefs-lifeline.html Ecology Thu, 15 Oct 2026 15:20:02 EDT news711275792 New research has revealed an unexpected new mechanism through which the killer fungus Candida auris is resisting antifungal drug treatment. A team led by the University of Exeter and City St George's, University of London, discovered that the fungus creates multiple versions of its entire genome, including mutating a gene that plays a role in cell wall integrity, called "Crazy-one" (CRZ1). https://phys.org/news/2026-10-candida-auris-entire-genome-survive.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 15 Oct 2026 05:00:08 EDT news711124142 The gut microbiome is teeming with hundreds of bacterial species and trillions of bacteria. These microorganisms influence many aspects of health, including digestion, and assist with numerous functions in the body. Gut bacteria compete for the limited nutrients available in their environment, while also interacting with each other in ways that can influence the stability of the microbial community. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-coli-eavesdrops-metabolic-gut-bacteria.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:40:05 EDT news711208261 Our brain must be able to learn new things without losing previously stored information or the stability of its networks. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN) in Magdeburg, together with partners in Bielefeld and Zurich, have investigated how this balance is achieved. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-reshapes-inhibitory-synapses-differently-nerve.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 14 Oct 2026 16:00:12 EDT news711199021 Different tissues need different amounts of blood depending on what they are doing. Meeting those changing demands requires the circulatory system to continually balance how much blood flows to different regions of the body. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-muscle-cells-spirals-advancing-efforts.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 14 Oct 2026 14:40:01 EDT news711196562