Studying bacteria and the cells they infect
By exploring how bacteria hijack cell functions, Associate Professor Rebecca Lamason hopes to learn more about how host cells carry out those functions.
Regina Barzilay and Jim Collins win Pritzker Prize for AI and Science Research Excellence for work in AI-enabled antibiotic discovery
The MIT professors collaborated to identify the first AI-discovered antibiotic, a scientific breakthrough that is widely recognized as a milestone in AI-driven drug discovery.
The ocean’s most abundant “loner” microbe has a sticky second life
Researchers in the Chisholm lab find Prochlorococcus can switch between drifting alone and living in attached communities, a discovery that could reshape estimates of how much carbon the ocean moves to the deep sea.
A new understanding of how enzymes influence bacterial protein production
Novel research expands scientific understanding of how RNA shapes the reading of genetic information.
The importance of indoor airflow patterns in spreading airborne disease
Researchers explore how a key factor can mitigate or promote tuberculosis transmission.
MIT engineers connect bacteria to create living transistors
By wiring together colonies of these bacteria, the researchers built circuits that can perform complicated calculations.
How an influx of salt may affect microbial ecosystems
As sea levels rise and saltwater seeps into freshwater, stressed aquatic populations may retain overall growth even as diversity declines, MIT scientists find.
Why are some bacterial genes high in purines?
In certain species of bacteria, the answer lies in shielding RNA transcripts from a quality-control factor called Rho. Understanding the requirements for expressible sequences is critical for expression engineering of therapeutic agents.
How neurons sense bacteria in the gut
Neural interaction with bacteria has important effects on animal brains. A new study investigates how neurons sense bacteria by revealing, in nematodes, the bacterial signals that a key neuron detects.
Slice and dice
SNIPE, a newly characterized biological defense system, directly protects bacteria by chopping up invading viral DNA.
How bacteria suppress immune defenses in stubborn wound infections
Study finds a common bacterium can suppress the body’s early warning system in wounds, causing infections to persist and create an environment that allows other bacteria to take hold.
CryoPRISM: A new tool for observing cellular machinery in a more natural environment
The method allows researchers to observe biomolecular complexes in a quick, accurate, and budget-friendly way, providing new insights into bacterial protein synthesis.
Ocean bacteria team up to break down biodegradable plastic
MIT researchers uncovered the roles of bacterial species from the environment as they consume biodegradable plastic.
New sensor sniffs out pneumonia on a patient’s breath
The technology could enable fast, point-of-care diagnoses for pneumonia and other lung conditions.
Understanding how “marine snow” acts as a carbon sink
A new study finds hitchhiking bacteria dissolve essential ballast in ubiquitous “snow” particles, which could counteract the ocean’s ability to sequester carbon.