
Microbe somehow survives without key proteins for replicating its DNA
23 March 2021
A microbe called Carpediemonas membranifera lacks a key set of proteins thought essential for copying DNA, and therefore for reproduction

23 March 2021
A microbe called Carpediemonas membranifera lacks a key set of proteins thought essential for copying DNA, and therefore for reproduction

12 February 2021
The photosynthetic bacteria that thrive in warm ocean waters today nearly died out when the entire planet froze over 680 million years ago – and there is evidence of that frozen world in their DNA

9 July 2019
Women who are genetically at risk for ovarian cancer have lower levels of protective strains of bacteria, similar to women who have the disease

21 August 2018
A new family of enzymes found in the human gut has been used to quickly turn type A blood into type O - which can be used for transfusions in anyone

8 June 2018
When a person enters a house, they leave behind a unique set of microorganisms that could serve as a fingerprint – and it seems to be accurate enough to spot individual people

19 December 2017
Bacteria and other microbes are all around us but we only know about 1 per cent of them. That is set to change, thanks to a technique called metagenomics

14 September 2017
The systems designed to stop potentially risky research being published and used to make weapons of terror have “multiple shortcomings”, warns US report

27 July 2017
Texts written in the Middle Ages are a rich source of information about the past – but the DNA in the animal skin pages has its own story to tell

31 May 2017
Life in simulated zero gravity turns bacteria into reproductive powerhouses and may help them form tough colonies that could pose a risk to humans in space