Bacteria Archives

Micrograph of a group of Epulopiscium viviparus bacteria.

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Giant Bacterium Epulopiscium viviparus Uses Unique Processes To Power Itself

by Keith CowingDecember 18, 2023December 18, 2023

Not all bacteria are created equal.

Location of FRL-specific residues in FRL-PSI. The structure of FRL-PSI from F. thermalis PCC 7521 is shown. This figure corresponds to the multiple sequence alignment shown in Supplementary Figure 6. Yellow spheres represent residues that are FRL-specific and are conserved in the ancestral sequence. Green spheres represent FRL-specific residues that are not conserved in the ancestral sequence. Chl f-binding sites that are conserved among the current FRL-PSI structures are shown with a pink glow and are labeled with bold font on each of the surface views (e.g., site B30). Chl f-binding sites that are observed to be species-specific based on the current structures are labeled with regular font (e.g., site B19). In the top left panel, the FRL-specific subunits are additionally labeled. The four clusters of FRL-specific residues are labeled c1 through c4. -- Frontiers/Queen Mary University of London

Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release, Proxima Centauri, Space Agriculture, TRAPPIST-1

A Spectrum Of Possibilities: Insights Into The Evolution Of Far-red Light Photosynthesis

by Keith CowingNovember 28, 2023November 28, 2023

A collaborative study led by Dr. Christopher Gisriel at Yale University and Dr. Tanai Cardona at Queen Mary University of London, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, offers new insight […]

Fluorescence microscopy images of Bacillus subtilis spores harboring GFP or Scarlet fusion to a DNA packaging protein (SspA) CREDIT Bing Zhou

Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Unlocking Long-term Genetic Memory: Dormant Bacterial Spores Offer Key Insights Into Evolutionary Survival Strategies

by Keith CowingNovember 27, 2023November 27, 2023

A recent study spearheaded by Prof. Sigal Ben Yehuda and her team at Hebrew University has unveiled a captivating facet of bacterial dormancy. This research illuminates the mechanism through which […]

Phage–bacteria coevolution generates multiscale network patterns in 21 days. (A) Phage–bacteria interaction network (PBIN) comprised of 9472 pairwise infections between 128 E. coli and 74 Φ21 strains isolated from various days of coevolution. (B) Community detection of the PBIN using the LP-BRIM algorithm reveals three modules (1, 2, and 3 indicated in black, pink, and green, respectively: Qb = 0.2100***, n = 3). -- Science

Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Bacteria-virus Arms Race Provides Rare Window Into Rapid And Complex Evolution

by Keith CowingNovember 11, 2023

As conceived by Charles Darwin in the 1800s, evolution is a slow, gradual process during which species adaptations are inherited incrementally over generations. However, today biologists can see how evolutionary […]

Close-up picture of a core sample: The oldest samples are drill core samples from the 1.6-billion-year-old McArthur Basin in Northern Australia. This is among the oldest biomarker samples known to date and contains the information about primary production by photosynthetic organisms at that time. CREDIT Photo: Benjamin Nettersheim, MARUM University of Bremen

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Tricorder Tech: Genetic Methods Enable The Use Of Fossil Lipids As Biomarkers For Oxygen-producing Primordial Bacteria

by Keith CowingNovember 3, 2023November 3, 2023

Cyanobacteria are a key species in Earth’s history, as they introduced atmospheric oxygen for the first time. The analysis of their evolution therefore provides important insights into the formation of […]

The cyanobacterial strains retain photosynthetic pigments in the biocoatings. Visualization of the cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 (A), Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (B), and Chroococcidiopsis cubana PCC 7433 (C) by means of their pigments using CLSM. Chlorophyll a fluoresces red, whereas the degradation of chlorophyll a reveals the secondary pigments fluorescing green. Bacterial cultures were either visualized untreated (viable controls) or heat-killed (killed controls). Biocoatings containing halloysite (LH) were visualized immediately after rehydration. Most of the bacterial cells within the biocoatings appeared red, which means that they contained chlorophyll a, as did the viable controls. -- ASM Journals

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Life Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Bacteria Found In The Desert Pave The Way For Paint That Produces Oxygen Whilst Capturing Carbon

by Keith CowingOctober 23, 2023August 23, 2025

Biocoatings are a type of water-based paint that encase live bacteria within layers. Besides capturing carbon, they can also serve as bioreactors or as biosensors.

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Extreme Habitats: Microbial Life In Old Faithful Geyser

by Keith CowingOctober 12, 2023October 12, 2023

An eruption of Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park is a sight to behold. Indeed, millions of tourists flock to the park each year to see it. Hot water […]

A novel bacteria, Poriferisphaera hetertotrophicis, observed using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Abbreviations: CM, outer membrane; Pi, cytoplasm; R, ribosome; N, nucleoid; ICM, cytoplasmic membrane; Py, peripla CREDIT Rikuan Zheng

Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

New Species Of Marine Bacteria Isolated From A Deep-sea Cold Seep

by Keith CowingAugust 29, 2023August 29, 2023

Researchers have isolated a new strain of marine bacteria with unique characteristics from the ocean seabed.

Bacterial evolution through geological time. (a) The early evolution of bacterial genetic diversity in the Archaean (David and Alm 2010) is reflected by rapid increase in gene content disparity (see Supplementary Material). (b) A persistent higher diversification rate of aerobes since the GOE. The line charts the relative diversification rate (the ratio of the inverse of the waiting time to the next speciation event) for aerobic and anaerobic lineages, revealing a persistent higher diversification rate of aerobes for most of the Earth’s history since the GOE. Rates equilibrated prior to the NOE, before a return to higher diversification rates for aerobes since the GOE. The dotted line denotes a ratio of 1, where the diversification rate of aerobic and anaerobic lineages is equal. Terminal branches were omitted and ratios since 100 Mya were not calculated do to a low number of nodes. (c) Spread of aerobic metabolism by HGT. Transitions from anaerobic to aerobic lifestyles have outnumbered transitions in the reverse direction/back transitions/returns to anaerobicity for most of Earth history since the GOE. The plots show the ratio of aerobic to anaerobic transition rates on the dated species tree during each time period. The dotted line denotes a ratio of 1, where transitions occur in both directions at the same rate. The small number of nodes since ~200 Ma greatly increases uncertainty for both analyses, as reflected in the wide confidence intervals of posterior node age estimates. Ratios since 100 Mya were not calculated due to a low number of nodes. (d) shows the number of aerobic lineages according to Figure 2, e) qualitative sketch of atmospheric oxygen levels through time based on (Lyons, Reinhard, and Planavsky 2014; Poulton et al. 2021; Krause et al. 2022). The grey line shows the Moon-forming impact at ~4.52 Ga; the green line at ~3.23 Ga reflects the presence of fossil and isotopic evidence for oxygenic photosynthesis; the red line at ~2.33 Ga reflects the end of the GOE (see calibrations in Supplementary Material). --- biorxiv.org

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

An Evolutionary Timescale For Bacteria Calibrated Using The Great Oxidation Event

by Keith CowingAugust 16, 2023August 16, 2023

Most of life’s diversity and history is microbial but it has left a meagre fossil record, greatly hindering understanding of evolution in deep time.

Fig. 2. Evidence that GerAA forms a membrane channel. (A) Predicted structure of the GerAA (red), GerAB (cyan), and GerAC (purple) trimers. Topology is based on protease accessibility studies of GerAC and GerAA (10, 38). TM3, the lumen-adjacent helix in GerAA, is labeled. (B) Predicted GerAA pentamer as viewed from outside the spore. Protomers are shown in dark and light gray and red. (C) EC residue pairs in GerAA are plotted as black circles. Intra-protomer (blue circles) and interprotomer (orange circles) residue pairs that are ≤5 Å apart in the predicted GerAA pentamer are shown. (D) Space-filling model of the predicted pentamer of trimers. (E) Predicted pore (light blue) in the GerAA pentamer. Only three GerAA protomers are shown for clarity. (F) Top view of the GerAA hexamer model showing the concentric TM rings surrounding the channel. V362 is highlighted. -- Science

Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release

How Dormant Bacteria Come Back To Life

by Keith CowingApril 27, 2023April 27, 2023

Solving a riddle that has confounded biologists since bacterial spores — inert, sleeping bacteria — were first described more than 150 years ago, researchers at Harvard Medical School have discovered […]

Bacteria

Giant Bacterium Epulopiscium viviparus Uses Unique Processes To Power Itself

A Spectrum Of Possibilities: Insights Into The Evolution Of Far-red Light Photosynthesis

Unlocking Long-term Genetic Memory: Dormant Bacterial Spores Offer Key Insights Into Evolutionary Survival Strategies

Bacteria-virus Arms Race Provides Rare Window Into Rapid And Complex Evolution

Tricorder Tech: Genetic Methods Enable The Use Of Fossil Lipids As Biomarkers For Oxygen-producing Primordial Bacteria

Bacteria Found In The Desert Pave The Way For Paint That Produces Oxygen Whilst Capturing Carbon

Extreme Habitats: Microbial Life In Old Faithful Geyser

New Species Of Marine Bacteria Isolated From A Deep-sea Cold Seep

An Evolutionary Timescale For Bacteria Calibrated Using The Great Oxidation Event

How Dormant Bacteria Come Back To Life

Cracks In A Martian Crater’s Ice

Stellar Tidal Systematics In Apsidal-motion Searches For Circumbinary Planets: CH Ind And SW CMa

Chondrule Formation In The Outer Disk From The Primary Three-dimensional Chemical Composition Of CM Chondrules

Habitable Worlds Observatory’s Concept and Technology Maturation: Initial Feasibility and Trade Space Exploration

First Look at a Time-Series Observation with New NIRISS SOSS Multistripe Subarrays