New Research

The Microbes That Make Cheese Taste Good Are Surprisingly Universal

Just a dozen different types of bacteria and fungi tend to dominate all different cheese types

"Watermarks" earned first place in the contest. “The way water in this picture found its way back to the ocean reminded me of a peacock's tail spreading under the sun or a woman's hair blowing in the wind,” Sadri writes.

Art Meets Science

Who Knew Fungi and Fruit Fly Ovaries Could Be So Beautiful?

Princeton University’s annual science art contest shines a light on the research world, adding a video element this year

New Research

Early Life May Have Thrived in the Wreckage of a Meteorite

Porous rock created by high impact meteorite strikes make a surprisingly pleasant home for microbes

Cool Finds

This Grocery Store Will Be Powered By Its Own Waste

Microbes digest tossed food, belch up electricity-generating methane

New Research

Researchers are Tracking House Cats with Tiny Harnesses

GPS measurements and collar cameras will tell them where, exactly, kitty goes all day

Trending Today

Could There Be More Smallpox Samples Still Out There Somewhere?

The FDA found mysterious old vials labeled “variola” and determined that they did indeed contain the smallpox virus

New Research

Malaria Parasites Might Make Their Infected Hosts Smell Tastier for Mosquitoes

So far, the finding has only been shown in mice

New Research

When Homo Sapiens Began to Emerge, Herpes Was Already Waiting

Herpes first evolved in chimpanzees before colonizing the cells of Homo erectus

New Research

Lone Bacteria Are More Likely to Become Drug Resistant Than Big Colonies

This finding could help design ways to prevent antibiotic resistance

New Research

A Fully Vaccinated Woman Contracted And Then Spread the Measles

This is the first time health officials have encountered a Typhoid Mary-like situation for measles

New Research

Sea Otters Can Get the Human Flu

Scientists have no idea how the otters contracted the H1N1 virus, however

Cool Finds

This Hospital Door Handle Doubles As a Hand Sanitizer

This way, infections don’t spread as easily—and no one has to remember to Purel their hands

Fallen trees in Chernobyl's infamous red forest.

New Research

Forests Around Chernobyl Aren’t Decaying Properly

It wasn’t just people, animals and trees that were affected by radiation exposure at Chernobyl, but also the decomposers: insects, microbes, and fungi

Foldscopes assembled.

Cool Finds

This Paper Microscope Costs Just 97 Cents

Foldscope is a paper microscope that fits in your pocket and can be assembled for less than a dollar. And it works, too.

Pithovirus sibericum, TKTK

New Research

The World’s Largest Virus Was Just Resurrected From 34,000-Year-Old Permafrost

It’s not a threat to humans, but does show that ancient viruses can persist for millennia and remain a potential health threat

Bacteriophage P2 using Transmission Electron Microscope

New Research

Ancient Poop Had Antibiotic Resistance Genes, Too

14th century feces not so different from today

New Research

Camels Have Been Carrying Around a Deadly, Contagious Virus For At Least Twice As Long As Anyone Realized

Over the past twenty years, cases of the MERS virus might have gone undetected in infected humans

New Research

The Cat Parasite That Causes Toxoplasmosis Is Turning Up in Beluga Whales

Native Inuits who eat Beluga whales risk infection if the meat is not thoroughly disinfected by cooking

A locust swarm in Israel.

New Research

Grasshopper Gut Parasites Could Stop Ruinous Locust Swarms

The microbes confuse the chemical signals that tell pestilent locusts: swarm!

One of the first "sneeze guards" appeared in Johnny Garneau's American Style Smorgasbord in Monroeville 1958.

How the “Sneeze Guard” Changed Buffet Tables Forever

A germaphobe invented the protective glass barrier over your all-you-can eat meal in 1959

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