Even though sugars are often framed as simple sources of energy, they also serve as structurally complex and functionally diverse molecules that mediate interactions between organisms. Among these, ...

Researchers have discovered how acids on the surface of bacteria give these microscopic organisms their characteristic "rod" ...

A vivid new image is taking shape in the world of cell biology: Imagine bacteria adhering to the surface of a cell, perhaps at the site of an injury or wound. In response, a white blood cell arrives ...

Researchers have revealed how bacteria precisely control the genes that trigger cell division. The study shows that the MraZ protein, which normally forms a donut-shaped structure, must bend and ...

Liquid culture flasks of bacteria grown in yellow broth covered with tinfoil on a shaker. Bacterial strains needed to be tested every step of the way to create the highly compressed genome. Credit: ...

The bacterial flagellar motor is finally understood after 50 years. In its workings, columnist Natalie Wolchover finds the essence of life. You’re the earliest known life form. There’s no food around ...