Soil chips provide a micrometer-resolution window into life underfoot, shedding light on how fungi behave when navigating soil’s mazes.
bacteria & microbes
Posted inNews
This Search for Alien Life Starts with Destroying Bacteria on Earth
Someday, a catalog of molecular fragments might help scientists identify extraterrestrial life on our solar system’s icy moons.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Researchers Unearth Bedrock Carbon and Water Dynamics
Deep tree roots bring respiring microbes into broken bedrock, generating carbon that’s released into the environment. New research explores this oft-overlooked carbon source.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Chemical-Shuttling Bacteria Follow Earth’s Magnetic Field
Magnetotactic bacteria shunt sulfur, nitrogen, and other important elements between oxygen-poor and oxygen-rich waters.
Posted inFeatures
Mars 2020 Team Using Australian Rocks in Search for Life on Mars
Scientists are investigating evidence of ancient terrestrial microbes preserved in Australia as well as mineral maps derived from Mars orbiter data to shed light on how to search for life on Mars.
Posted inNews
Desert Microbes Mine for Water
Scientists studying a cyanobacterium isolated from rock samples in the Atacama Desert found out how the bacteria extract water to live. Their results may help identify likely sites for life on Mars.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Dangerous Bacteria Catch a Ride on Saharan Dust
Saharan dust events can spread bacterial pathogens over long distances, but we may be able to predict the human health risk from exposure.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Microbial Mechanisms Change with the Seasons
Microbes living in the sand on a barrier island alter the way they break down organic matter as their environment changes throughout the year, which has implications for the surrounding water column.
Posted inFeatures
Deepwater Horizon and the Rise of the Omics
Microbial genomics techniques came of age following the Deepwater Horizon spill, offering researchers unparalleled insights into how ecosystems respond to such environmental disasters.
Posted inNews
Microbes Discovered Hanging Out in the Ocean’s Crust
“The lower ocean crust is one of the last frontiers of the exploration for life on Earth.”