In search of the principles of life
Associate Professor Otto Cordero is looking for the fundamental constraints that shape microbial ecosystems.
MIT scientists discover new antiviral defense system in bacteria
Prokaryotes can detect hallmark viral proteins and trigger cell death through a process seen across all domains of life.
Better living through multicellular life cycles
Researchers reveal how an algae-eating bacterium solves an environmental engineering challenge.
Nanoparticle sensor can distinguish between viral and bacterial pneumonia
Using this diagnostic, doctors could avoid prescribing antibiotics in cases where they won’t be effective.
Engineered bacteria could help protect “good” gut microbes from antibiotics
Microbes that safely break down antibiotics could prevent opportunistic infections and reduce antibiotic resistance.
Microbes and minerals may have set off Earth’s oxygenation
Scientists propose a new mechanism by which oxygen may have first built up in the atmosphere
SMART researchers discover unique lysin capable of killing multidrug-resistant bacteria
Novel lysin Abp013 has shown promising antimicrobial ability against Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Protein structure offers clues to drug-resistance mechanism
A new study sheds light on how a protein pumps toxic molecules out of bacterial cells.
Exploring growth within a confined space
Embedding bacteria in soft material tests researchers’ theories.
Predator interactions chiefly determine where Prochlorococcus thrive
New findings may help researchers hone predictions for where phytoplankton will migrate with climate change.
Illuminating the history and global story of antibiotics
HASTS PhD student Rijul Kochhar tracks changing medical and microbial realities, and examines what they portend for society.
A step toward “living biotherapeutics”
Chemical engineers created a coating for microbes that could make it easier to deploy the organisms to treat gastrointestinal disease.
SMART researchers develop method for early detection of bacterial infection in crops
The Raman spectroscopy-based method enables early detection and quantification of pathogens in plants, to enhance plant disease management.
Zeroing in on the origins of Earth’s “single most important evolutionary innovation”
A new study shows oxygenic photosynthesis likely evolved between 3.4 and 2.9 billion years ago.
New method opens the door to efficient genome writing in bacteria
Technique for editing bacterial genomes can record interactions between cells, may offer a way to edit genes in the human microbiome.