Study reveals how mucus tames microbes
Specialized sugar molecules called glycans can disarm opportunistic pathogens and prevent infection.
Engineered viruses could fight drug resistance
By tweaking bacteriophage genomes, MIT team creates a new weapon to combat infection.
Using recent gene flow to define microbe populations
New method identifies ecologically and medically relevant bacteria groups.
A new way to block unwanted genetic transfer
Researchers identify a strategy to prevent mobile genetic elements from breaching the bacterial cell wall.
How a declining environment affects populations
Study finds that competition between bacterial species can be upended when conditions deteriorate.
Painting a fuller picture of how antibiotics act
Machine learning reveals metabolic pathways disrupted by the drugs, offering new targets to combat resistance.
Department of Biology hosts second annual Science Slam
Eight biology contestants get one slide and three minutes to explain their research and impress their listeners.
Designing ocean ecological systems in the lab
Associate Professor Otto Cordero and colleagues discover simple assembly rules for marine microbiomes.
The complex world of carbohydrate chemistry
Drawn to MIT by its “amazing women who were doing science,” Professor Laura Kiessling explores sugar-protein interactions that influence cell behavior.
MIT spinout seeks to transform food safety testing
An affordable, easy-to-use handheld sensor, soon to enter the market, can indicate the presence of bacterial contaminants in food in seconds.
New technique pinpoints milestones in the evolution of bacteria
Results show bacterial genomes provide “shadow history” of animal evolution.
Bacteria promote lung tumor development, study suggests
Antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs may help combat lung cancer.
Sallie “Penny” Chisholm awarded the 2019 Crafoord Prize
Institute Professor honored for discovering Prochlorococcus, the most abundant photosynthesizing organism on Earth.
Technique identifies electricity-producing bacteria
Microbes screened with a new microfluidic process might be used in power generation or environmental cleanup.
Engineering "capture compounds" to probe cell growth
Researchers develop a method to investigate how bacteria respond to starvation and to identify which proteins bind to the “magic spot” — ppGpp.