Using light-capturing proteins in living microbes, scientists have reconstructed what life was like for some of Earth’s earliest organisms. These efforts could help us recognize signs of life on other […]
Microbiology & Virology
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Virus Discovery Offers Clues About The Origins Of Complex Life
The first discovery of viruses infecting a group of microbes that may include the ancestors of all complex life has been found, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Giant Bacteria Challenges Traditional Concepts
At first glance, the slightly murky waters in the tube look like a scoop of stormwater, complete with leaves, debris, and even lighter threads in the mix. But in the […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Magnetic Foraminifera Thrive In The Mariana Trench
Unicellular magnetic microorganisms include magnetotactic bacteria and some protist species. Although magnetosome magnetite in bacteria (prokaryotes) is well studied, little is known regarding the characteristics and origin of magnetic minerals […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Chromatin Originated In Ancient Microbes One To Two Billion Years Ago
In almost every human cell, two metres-long DNA has to fit within a nucleus that is just 8 millionths of a metre wide. Like wool around a spool, the extreme […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
830 Million Year Old Microorganisms In Primary Fluid Inclusions In Halit
Primary fluid inclusions in bedded halite from the 830-m.y.-old Browne Formation ofcentral Australia contain organic solids and liquids, as documented with transmitted light and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) petrography. These objects are […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Studying Microorganisms On Earth To Gain Insight Into Life On Other Planets
In Oman, located on the Persian Gulf, there is a large slab of ancient seafloor, including ultramafic rocks from Earth’s upper mantle, called the Samail Ophiolite. These unique rocks not […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ocean Water Samples Yield Treasure Trove Of RNA Virus Data
Ocean water samples collected around the world have yielded a treasure trove of new data about RNA viruses, expanding ecological research possibilities and reshaping our understanding of how these small […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
What Naegleria Amoebae Can Tell Us About The Diversity Of Life On Earth And Its Evolutionary History
An international team of researchers, led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, recently announced in the journal Current Biology that an amoeba called Naegleria has evolved more distinct sets of […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Microbes Produce Oxygen In The Dark
There is more going on in the deep, dark ocean waters than you may think: Uncountable numbers of invisible microorganisms go about their daily lives in the water columns, and […]