Bacteria | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/bacteria/RSS feed for BacteriaenWed, 05 Aug 2026 19:13:11 +0000A New Study Points to Two Origins of Life on Earth by Tracing Early Chemical Reactions in Single-Celled Organismshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-new-study-points-to-two-origins-of-life-on-earth-by-tracing-early-chemical-reactions-in-single-celled-organisms-180989260/The work challenges the assumption that all life descended from one free-living cell. Instead, it suggests that two microbial lineages, the bacteria and archaea, evolved independently from a primordial, nonliving ancestorWed, 05 Aug 2026 19:13:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-new-study-points-to-two-origins-of-life-on-earth-by-tracing-early-chemical-reactions-in-single-celled-organisms-180989260/Scientists Are Using Nanomaterials to Heal Stubborn Wounds That Resist Antibiotic Treatmenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/scientists-are-using-nanomaterials-to-heal-stubborn-wounds-that-resist-antibiotic-treatment-180988972/Light-activated therapies may offer a solution to slow-healing lesions common in diabetics and burn victimsWed, 17 Jun 2026 16:36:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/scientists-are-using-nanomaterials-to-heal-stubborn-wounds-that-resist-antibiotic-treatment-180988972/Scientists Used A.I. to Redesign a Microbe's Machinery to Function Without a Key Ingredient of Lifehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-used-ai-to-redesign-a-microbes-machinery-to-function-without-a-key-ingredient-of-life-180988802/Although the researchers did not create an entire cell that could function without a crucial building block, the findings represent a big step in synthetic biology and provide a glimpse at how Earth’s earliest organisms may have livedWed, 27 May 2026 15:46:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-used-ai-to-redesign-a-microbes-machinery-to-function-without-a-key-ingredient-of-life-180988802/Some Antibiotic Drugs Can Alter Your Gut Microbiome for Up to Eight Years, New Research Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/some-antibiotic-drugs-can-alter-your-gut-microbiome-for-up-to-eight-years-new-reserach-suggests-180988351/Just a single course of treatment can leave a lasting impression, according to a study of nearly 15,000 people in SwedenWed, 18 Mar 2026 16:13:48 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/some-antibiotic-drugs-can-alter-your-gut-microbiome-for-up-to-eight-years-new-reserach-suggests-180988351/Would You Jump Into Your Local River? Swimmable Cities May Be Within Reach as Once-Polluted Waterways Are Restoredhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/would-you-jump-into-your-local-river-swimmable-cities-may-be-within-reach-as-once-polluted-waterways-are-restored-180988317/Efforts to improve the “swimmability” of urban areas are gaining global traction, from Paris to ChicagoTue, 10 Mar 2026 15:13:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/would-you-jump-into-your-local-river-swimmable-cities-may-be-within-reach-as-once-polluted-waterways-are-restored-180988317/If Microbes Entered the Olympics, These One-Celled Superstars Would Win Goldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/if-microbes-entered-the-olympics-these-one-celled-superstars-would-win-gold-180988135/They race, they spin, they shoot. Meet the organisms for which physical prowess is more than sport—it’s a matter of life and deathFri, 06 Feb 2026 12:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/if-microbes-entered-the-olympics-these-one-celled-superstars-would-win-gold-180988135/Anthropologists Recover DNA of Syphilis-Causing Bacterium Relative From 5,500-Year-Old Human Remains, the Earliest Ever Foundhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/anthropologists-recover-dna-of-syphilis-causing-bacterium-relative-from-5500-year-old-human-remains-the-earliest-ever-found-180988066/The findings represent the oldest complete set of genetic information from this bacterial group and shed light on its evolutionary historyTue, 27 Jan 2026 17:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/anthropologists-recover-dna-of-syphilis-causing-bacterium-relative-from-5500-year-old-human-remains-the-earliest-ever-found-180988066/A Deadly Pathogen Decimated Sunflower Sea Stars. Look Inside the Lab Working to Bring Them Back by Freezing and Thawing Their Larvaehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-deadly-pathogen-decimated-sunflower-sea-stars-look-inside-the-lab-working-to-bring-them-back-by-freezing-and-thawing-their-larvae-180987856/For the first time, scientists have cryopreserved and revived the larvae of a sea star species. The breakthrough, made with the giant pink star, gives hope the technique could be repeated to save the imperiled predatorThu, 11 Dec 2025 18:36:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-deadly-pathogen-decimated-sunflower-sea-stars-look-inside-the-lab-working-to-bring-them-back-by-freezing-and-thawing-their-larvae-180987856/These Beautiful Microscope Photos Capture Tiny Pests, Spores, Sensory Neurons and Sunflower Hairshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-beautiful-microscope-pictures-capture-tiny-pests-fern-spores-sensory-neurons-and-sunflower-hairs-180987531/Nikon has announced the winners of its 51st annual photomicrography competitionFri, 17 Oct 2025 21:01:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-beautiful-microscope-pictures-capture-tiny-pests-fern-spores-sensory-neurons-and-sunflower-hairs-180987531/Wildfires Are Ruining Your Favorite Wines. These Bacteria Might Be Able to Helphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wildfires-are-ruining-your-favorite-wines-scientists-say-these-bacteria-might-be-able-to-help-180987441/Microbes already growing on grape plants may help neutralize one of the compounds responsible for wildfire-exposed grapes' off-putting flavors, new research suggestsThu, 02 Oct 2025 21:20:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wildfires-are-ruining-your-favorite-wines-scientists-say-these-bacteria-might-be-able-to-help-180987441/