Microbes

“Our prediction is that we might be able to identify risk for preterm birth ahead of time, before labor sets in,” says Katharina Ribbeck, an associate professor of biological engineering at MIT and the senior author of the study. “Diagnostic tools for this are missing.”

Study suggests simple way to predict preterm births

Test of cervical mucus may reveal pregnant women’s risk of going into labor too early.

September 4, 2017

A new method allows scientists to learn more about how existing antibiotics work and potentially help them to develop new drugs.

New way to test antibiotics could lead to better drugs

Study finds bacterial response to drugs varies in different environments.

August 31, 2017

Phytoplankton and chips

Simons Foundation supports enhanced computer infrastructure for MIT's Darwin Project, which focuses on marine microbes and microbial communities.

August 4, 2017

“My training at MIT gave me an empathy for microbes,” says Emily Greenhagen. “It’s an approach that a lot of chemical engineers don’t necessarily think about and has been key to my success.”

A rose by any other name would smell as yeast

Emily Havens Greenhagen ’05 leads a team of scientists brewing perfume from yeast.

July 14, 2017

Researchers have discovered that Prochlorococcus varieties can each produce more than two dozen different peptides (molecules that are similar to proteins, but smaller).

Microbe generates extraordinarily diverse array of peptides

In marine bacteria, evolution of new specialized molecules follows a previously unknown path.

June 22, 2017

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 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

MIT researchers have devised a new vaccine candidate for the Zika virus. “It functions almost like a synthetic virus, except it’s not pathogenic and it doesn’t spread,” says postdoc Omar Khan.

Progress toward a Zika vaccine

Researchers program RNA nanoparticles that could protect against the virus.

March 29, 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

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

After feeding C. elegans worms an equal mix of bacteria that express either red or green fluorescent protein, MIT researchers found that the microbial populations in the worms’ digestive tracts tend to become dominated by one or the other.

Microbiome diversity is influenced by chance encounters

Study finds a role for randomness in the composition of the gut’s microbe populations.

March 3, 2017

A team of MIT biological engineers has developed a method to measure levels of the iron-containing protein heme inside the malaria parasite. “One of our long-term goals is ultimately being able to tie insights from these studies back to thinking about drug discovery and targeting pathways that regulate heme,” says Jacquin Niles, an MIT associate professor of biological engineering.

Taking aim at a key malaria molecule

Measuring the parasite’s heme levels could help scientists develop better antimalarial drugs.

February 27, 2017

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