Bacteria

A bubble of oxygen emerges from a cyanobacterial mat growing in the lab.

A genomic take on geobiology

Researchers in Greg Fournier’s geobiology lab are seeking to calibrate the ancient history of life on Earth using genomic analysis.

June 5, 2017

Marine bacteria form a community on a nutrient particle in the Cordero Lab.

In search of the fundamental laws of microecology

A new MIT-led Simons Foundation collaboration aims to understand basic principles and laws of microbial ecosystems.

May 30, 2017

Researchers produced colored images on culture plates by using red, green, and blue lights to control the pigment produced by bacteria with “multicolor vision.” The image has been color-corrected in Photoshop to improve contrast.

Bacteria with multicolor vision

Red, green, and blue light can be used to control gene expression in engineered E. coli.

May 26, 2017

This breathable workout suit prototype has ventilating flaps that open and close in response to an athlete’s body heat and sweat. The left photo was taken before exercise when ventilation flaps are flat; after exercise, the ventilation flaps have curved.

Researchers design moisture-responsive workout suit

Ventilating flaps lined with live cells open and close in response to an athlete’s sweat.

May 19, 2017

A new study, performed at MIT Medical, shows that most parents were able to successfully perform the Streptococcus (“strep throat”) test on their children.

Home strep test could save time and money

Study at MIT Medical finds most parents are capable of performing the test.

May 10, 2017

A new safety test for foodborne pathogens is based on a novel type of liquid droplet that can bind to bacterial proteins. This interaction, which can be detected by either the naked eye or a smartphone, could offer a much faster and cheaper alternative to existing food safety tests.

New technology could offer cheaper, faster food testing

Specialized droplets interact with bacteria and can be analyzed using a smartphone.

April 5, 2017

The many genetic variations of the tiny bacteria called Prochlorococcus are distributed in a layered structure, with each variant adapted to the particular mix of sunlight and nutrients found in that layer of seawater.

Tiny bacterium provides window into whole ecosystems

Ubiquitous marine organism has co-evolved with other microbes, promoting more complex ecosystems.

March 27, 2017

A raindrop, splashing on a porous surface, can release thousands of aerosols, as captured here in high-speed imaging experiments.

A light rain can spread soil bacteria far and wide, study finds

Global precipitation may account for 1 to 25 percent of bacteria emitted from land.

March 7, 2017

MIT earth scientists have found evidence that eukaryotes — the domain of life comprising animals, plants, and protists — were present on Earth as early as 2.33 billion years ago, right around the time when oxygen became a permanent fixture in the atmosphere.

Study suggests complex life was present on Earth 2.33 billion years ago

New estimate predates earliest fossil evidence by 800 million years.

March 6, 2017

Researchers have found that the hydrogel’s mostly watery environment helps keep nutrients and programmed bacteria alive and active. When the bacteria reacts to a certain chemical, the bacteria are programmed to light up, as seen on the left.

Living sensors at your fingertips

Cell-infused gloves and bandages light up when in contact with certain chemicals.

February 15, 2017

“The challenge is to engineer a system where we get enough growth to have a productive microbial ‘ chemical factory’ but not so much that we can’ t channel enough of the sugars into a pathway to make large quantities of our target molecules,”says Kristala Prather, an associate professor of chemical engineering at MIT.

Chemical engineers boost bacteria’s productivity

New technique improves yield of useful chemicals.

February 13, 2017

MIT spinout Manus Bio has created a low-cost process for engineering microbes with complex metabolic pathways borrowed from plants, which can produce an array of rare and expensive ingredients used to manufacture noncaloric beverages, perfumes, toothpastes, detergents, pesticides, and even therapeutics, among other products.

Microbial manufacturing

Engineered bacteria produce rare and commercially useful compounds in large quantities.

February 3, 2017

“Understanding how our innate immune system works is important for thinking about the development of new ways to treat infectious disease,” says MIT associate professor of chemistry Elizabeth Nolan.

Exploring the tug-of-war over metals during infection

Chemist Elizabeth Nolan studies the battle between microbes and hosts for essential metals.

January 4, 2017

MIT oceanographers have found that some small marine organisms — mostly bacteria — have a surprisingly low limit to the amount of oxygen they need to breathe.

New study sets oxygen-breathing limit for ocean’s hardiest organisms

Bacteria can survive in marine environments that are almost completely starved of oxygen.

December 19, 2016

MIT chemists have determined the structure of a bacterial enzyme that can produce biodegradable plastics, an advance that could help chemical engineers tweak the enzyme to make it even more industrially useful.

A step toward biodegradable plastics

Chemists discover structure of bacterial enzyme that generates useful polymers.

November 11, 2016

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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