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Microbes, Bacteria, Viruses

Donated blood must be matched carefully with donors to prevent a negative immune reaction--but new research may make it possible to create more universal blood.

In the Quest for Universal Blood, Go With Your Gut

Scientists enlisted enzymes produced by gut bacteria to turn blood into type O

A pair of Aedes albopticus mosquitoes mating. These mosquitoes are very closely related to the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes used in the WeRobotics/IAEA trials, and both can carry Zika, yellow fever and dengue. The female is much larger.

Do Not Fear the Drones Air-Dropping 50,000 Mosquitoes From Above

These horny buggers are actually here to help us fight the spread of disease

Slow-moving clumps of bacteria form the darker regions of the portrait, while fast-moving, spaced-out bacteria form the lighter regions

Art Meets Science

Light-Reactive Bacteria Create Miniature ‘Mona Lisa’ Replica

Researchers transformed swimming bacteria into replica of the da Vinci masterpiece, morphing likenesses of Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin

An Australian City Beats Dengue Fever Using Special Mosquitoes

There has not been a case of the disease in Townsville for four years after the release of insects carrying a naturally occurring bacteria

Is there hope for B.O.?

Will a New Discovery About Body Odor Lead to Better Deodorants?

Biologists now understand a key part of the molecular process that results in body odor—and deodorants might just be able to disrupt it

Scientists with Smithsonian’s Global Health Program examine a wrinkle-lipped bat, which can harbor a never-before-seen virus.

New Research

A Never-Before-Seen Virus Has Been Detected in Myanmar’s Bats

The discovery of two new viruses related to those that cause SARS and MERS marks PREDICT’s first milestone in the region

New Research

Pink Was the First Color of Life on Earth

Researchers have found bright pink pigments in 1.1 billion year old fossils of cyanobacteria drilled in West Africa

The antibiotic-resistant superbug MRSA

New Research

New “Immunobiotic” Could Treat Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs

The drug, which combines antibiotics and the body’s immune system, shows promise in early stages of testing

Swabbing a chimp's nest.

New Research

Your Bed Is Dirtier Than a Chimp’s

Human beds have far more bacteria associated with skin, saliva and feces than the nests of our primate cousins

Tasty kimchi

Cool Finds

Vegan Kimchi Is Microbially Pretty Close to the Original

A comparison between kimchi made with miso and kimchi made with fish sauce revealed that fermentation equalizes the bacterial communities

Future of Art

Watch Cells Move Within Living Animals in This Breathtaking Footage

The new microscope technique incorporates cutting-edge technology to capture spectacular imagery of cellular activity

The gut flora of dogs and humans is incredibly similar, a new study finds.

A Surprising Way Dogs Are Similar to Humans

We share more than snuggles and and a love of walks; canines and humans have similar gut microbiota

Kinorhynchs (aka mud dragons) range in size from about 0.13 to one millimeter. Like other meiofauna species, they are integral parts of marine food chains in sediments throughout the world.

King of the Mud Dragons

Robert Higgins has spent his career dredging out tiny creatures from dirt and obscurity

New Research

Some of Earth’s Deep Sea Microbes Could Survive on Saturn’s Moon

A methane-producing archaea survived simulations of Enceladus’ extreme conditions, hinting at the possibility of similar extraterrestrial life

Dr. Kevin Olival and the USAID PREDICT wildlife team surveying areas for bat trapping at the entrance to a cave in Thailand.

The Next Pandemic

Can Virus Hunters Stop the Next Pandemic Before It Happens?

A global project is looking to animals to map the world’s disease hotspots. Are they going about it the right way?

The rock from the Apex Chert in which the fossils were found

New Research

At 3.5 Billion Years Old, Are These the Oldest Fossils?

A new analysis of this decades-old find suggests that they were indeed once biological life—but not all are convinced

Acinetobacter baumannii

The Next Pandemic

Instead of Killing Bacteria, Can We Just “Turn Off” Its Ability To Cause Infections?

Researchers could have an answer to antibiotic resistance, and it involves using epigenetics to reprogram bacteria

To find the roots of an unlikely connection, researchers are untangling lemur microbiomes. Here, ring-tailed lemurs feast at Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, Germany.

New Research

What Lemur Guts Can Tell Us About Human Bowel Disease

Similarities between us and the cuddly primates could help us understand the origins of human illnesses—and treat them

Glowing proteins produced by the modified E. coli.

New Research

DNA Code Gets Two New Synthetic Letters—And Uses Them to Create a New Protein

Researchers hope the advance is a step toward producing a range of new compounds, including designer drugs and biofuels

Trending Today

Are Alien Microbes Clinging to the International Space Station? Probably Not

A report out of Russia claims extraterrestrial bacteria has been found on the space station, but there’s plenty of room for doubt

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