Microbial cooperation at the micron scale impacts biodegradation
MIT researchers demonstrate how often-ignored microbial interactions have a significant impact on the biodegradation of complex materials.
3 Questions: How to control biofilms in space
MIT and University of Colorado researchers are collaborating on an experiment to be sent to the International Space Station.
Biologists build proteins that avoid crosstalk with existing molecules
Engineered signaling pathways could offer a new way to build synthetic biology circuits.
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.
A comprehensive catalogue of human digestive tract bacteria
Researchers identify nearly 8,000 strains of bacteria, while also clarifying their genetic and metabolic context.
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.
Featured video: Saving iguanas with science and engineering
Professor Otto Cordero and colleagues ask: Can microbiome engineering make the Galapagos marine iguana more resilient to climate change?
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.
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.
New technique pinpoints milestones in the evolution of bacteria
Results show bacterial genomes provide “shadow history” of animal evolution.
Study: Much of the surface ocean will shift in color by end of 21st century
Climate-driven changes in phytoplankton communities will intensify the blue and green regions of the world’s oceans.