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.
Studying the hotbed of horizontal gene transfers
Global Microbiome Conservancy research reveals surprising new insights into human gut microbiomes.
Probiotics and antibiotics create a killer combination
Delivered together, the two join forces to eradicate drug-resistant bacteria.
Detangling DNA replication
Researchers identify an essential protein that helps enzymes relax overtwisted DNA so each strand can be copied during cell division.
How phytoplankton survive in ocean gyres with low nutrient supplies
Model of nutrient recycling may explain longstanding mystery.
Biological engineers discover new antibiotic candidates
Screen of human proteins reveals some with antimicrobial power.
Scene at MIT: PhD baby and her amazing mama
A new daughter helped Alejandra Falla PhD ’18 gain perspective on life — and her tiny MIT regalia stole the show at Commencement.
A single-injection vaccine for the polio virus
Nanoparticles could offer a new way to help eradicate the disease worldwide.
Jeff Gore: A physicist exploring population dynamics of microbes
MIT professor sees many “big, deep questions in biology” that benefit from study by both physicists and life scientists.
Artificial antimicrobial peptides could help overcome drug-resistant bacteria
With aid of computer algorithm, researchers develop peptides more powerful than those found in nature.
With The Herman Project, home bakers become citizen scientists
Network tracks the evolution of microbial communities in sourdough starter mixtures shared around the world.
Understanding microbial competition for nitrogen
Interactions among microorganisms account for nitrite accumulation just below the sunlit zone, with implications for oceanic carbon and nitrogen cycling.
Determining the timing of methanogen evolution
Scientists conclude methane-producing microbes date back 3.5 billion years, supporting the hypothesis that they could have contributed to early global warming.
Scientists find different cell types contain the same enzyme ratios
New discovery suggests that all life may share a common design principle.