MIT spinout seeks to transform food safety testing
An affordable, easy-to-use handheld sensor, soon to enter the market, can indicate the presence of bacterial contaminants in food in seconds.
New technique pinpoints milestones in the evolution of bacteria
Results show bacterial genomes provide “shadow history” of animal evolution.
Bacteria promote lung tumor development, study suggests
Antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs may help combat lung cancer.
Sallie “Penny” Chisholm awarded the 2019 Crafoord Prize
Institute Professor honored for discovering Prochlorococcus, the most abundant photosynthesizing organism on Earth.
Technique identifies electricity-producing bacteria
Microbes screened with a new microfluidic process might be used in power generation or environmental cleanup.
Engineering "capture compounds" to probe cell growth
Researchers develop a method to investigate how bacteria respond to starvation and to identify which proteins bind to the “magic spot” — ppGpp.
Surviving one of Earth’s most extreme environments
New research finds a unique component of cell membranes in an archaea species conveys protection against acidic surroundings.
Tracking the footprints of protein synthesis
Researchers refine a method to quantify protein production, show that the precision with which bacteria and eukaryotes tune their gene expression is remarkably similar.
MIT engineers repurpose wasp venom as an antibiotic drug
Altered peptides from a South American wasp’s venom can kill bacteria but are nontoxic to human cells.
Bursting bubbles launch bacteria from water to air
Study illuminates new mode of bacteria dispersal.
Chemical synthesis could produce more potent antibiotics
Simple method for linking molecules could help overcome drug resistant infections.
Studying the hotbed of horizontal gene transfers
Global Microbiome Conservancy research reveals surprising new insights into human gut microbiomes.
Detangling DNA replication
Researchers identify an essential protein that helps enzymes relax overtwisted DNA so each strand can be copied during cell division.
![“If you have a problem, and you look into the problem in nature and see how animals or plants deal with these kinds of problems and extract those design principles, you can try to replicate [them] using engineering approaches,” saysZijay Tang, a PhD candidate in MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering.](/sites/default/files/styles/term_page__news_article/public/images/201809/MIT-Tang-01.jpg?itok=cCVJRVTZ)
Inspired by nature, reaching across disciplines
PhD student Zijay Tang is developing a living material that can sense and filter water contaminants.
Even on standardized diet, gut flora change from day to day
Despite a single, unchanging food source in the form of a liquid meal replacement shake, bacteria in the gut are unpredictable, researchers find.