Add BrightSurf on Google Email

Floating colonies: engineering three-dimensional microbial architectures in liquid cultures

A new liquid-based platform called 'floatony' can form and maintain complex three-dimensional microbial structures while preserving molecular diffusion, spatial structures, and cell mobility. This approach could offer new ways to study gut microbiota, biofilms, and other spatially organized microbial communities.

SourceInstitute of Science Tokyo·JournalBiofabrication·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 27, 2026

First-of-its-kind computer model of bacterial biofilms could support antibiotic resistance research

A new 3D computer model developed by the University of Surrey has shown how Pseudomonas aeruginosa grows and spreads its protective layer under constant fluid flow. The model's accuracy was validated through laboratory experiments, demonstrating potential for faster and smarter ways to understand bacterial behavior.

SourceUniversity of Surrey·Journalnpj Biofilms and Microbiomes·DateJul 14, 2026

Stiff gels slow germs: New study maps hydrogel properties that control bacterial growth

Researchers have identified optimal conditions for bacterial growth on hydrogels, finding that firmer, lower water content materials consistently slow bacterial expansion. The study's findings also reveal a selective mechanism at work, where negatively charged gels repel bacteria harbouring negatively charged groups.

SourceUniversity of Warwick·JournalCommunications Materials·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 11, 2026

Controlling bacteria with light: from tackling antibiotic resistance to “bacterial robots”

Researchers at Politecnico di Milano have developed a system that allows bacteria to sense light and convert it into electrical signals without genetic modification. This method has the potential to develop next-generation antimicrobial platforms and biocompatible 'bacterial robots' for targeted drug delivery.

SourcePolitecnico di Milano·JournalThe European Physical Journal Plus·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 3, 2025

Development of a novel modified selective medium cefixime–tellurite-phosphate-xylose-rhamnose MacConkey agar for isolation of Escherichia albertii and its evaluation with food samples

A novel selective medium was developed to isolate Escherichia albertii, a previously uncharacterized species. The CT-PS-XR-MacConkey agar selectively differentiated E. albertii from other bacteria, including those in food samples. This finding has significant implications for the identification and study of this pathogen.

SourceOsaka Metropolitan University·JournalInternational Journal of Food Microbiology·DateApr 11, 2025

Novel bacteria parasitizing archaea

Researchers at Hokkaido University have successfully cultivated an ultrasmall bacterial strain that parasitizes methanogenic archaea, inhibiting their growth. This discovery represents the first successful cultivation of such bacteria and proposes a new phylum Minisyncoccota, advancing our understanding of microbial ecology.

SourceHokkaido University·JournalINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 10, 2025

Bacteria found to eat forever chemicals — and even some of their toxic byproducts

A University at Buffalo-led team has identified a strain of bacteria that can break down and transform at least three types of PFAS, as well as some of the toxic byproducts of the bond-breaking process. The bacteria, Labrys portucalensis F11, metabolized over 90% of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) after a 100-day exposure period.

SourceUniversity at Buffalo·JournalScience of The Total Environment·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 23, 2025

Bioactive compounds with possible industrial applications are identified in extremophilic bacteria from the Andes

Biofilm produced by Pseudomonas alcaligenes has unique structural properties and thermal stability, exhibiting antioxidant, emulsification and flocculation activity. The EPS can be used as a natural additive for the pharmaceutical and food industries with potential applications in developing sustainable or ecofriendly additives.

Illinois researchers develop model to evaluate food safety control strategies for produce industry

A new study from the University of Illinois aims to determine the most effective risk management strategies for the produce supply chain. The researchers found that improved process controls, such as washing, provided a greater reduction in overall risk than additional product testing.

SourceUniversity of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences·JournalJournal of Food Protection·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateDec 12, 2024

New study shows how salmonella tricks gut defenses to cause infection

A new UC Davis Health study has uncovered the mechanisms by which Salmonella bacteria evade the body's natural defenses in the gut. The research found that Salmonella alters the gut's nutrient environment to fuel its replication in the large intestine, creating an imbalance that helps the pathogen survive. This new understanding could ...

SourceUniversity of California - Davis Health·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateNov 15, 2024

The high cost of complexity

A new study led by Arizona State University researcher Michael Lynch explores the substantial energy demands required to maintain and evolve multicellular life. Multicellular organisms require a tenfold increase in energy compared to protists, highlighting how respiration and metabolic processes are crucial for advanced life forms.

SourceArizona State University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateNov 4, 2024

Wastewater bacteria can breakdown plastic for food

Researchers discovered that wastewater bacteria can break down plastic into small pieces called nanoplastics and use a specialized enzyme to further degrade it. The bacteria then use the broken-down plastic as a food source, providing new possibilities for developing bioengineering solutions to clean up difficult-to-remove plastic waste.

SourceNorthwestern University·JournalEnvironmental Science & Technology·TypeExperimental study·DateOct 3, 2024

How a bacterium becomes a permanent resident in a fungus

A team of researchers led by Julia Vorholt at ETH Zurich initiated laboratory partnerships between bacteria and fungi to study the beginnings of an endosymbiotic relationship. They found that when certain bacteria are passed on to the next generation of fungi through spores, the fungus adapts and becomes more inhabited.

SourceETH Zurich·JournalNature·DateOct 2, 2024

The Lancet: More than 39 million deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections estimated between now and 2050, suggests first global analysis

A new study estimates that more than 1 million people died each year due to antibiotic-resistant infections between 1990 and 2021. The study predicts that this number could increase to nearly 2 million by 2050, with a significant age-related shift in the impact of AMR on children under five years old.

SourceThe Lancet·JournalThe Lancet·TypeObservational study·DateSep 16, 2024

Align or die

Researchers at ISTA discovered that misaligned protein filaments 'die' and re-assemble to form a well-aligned ring structure essential for bacterial cell division. This mechanism could lead to the development of synthetic self-healing materials.

SourceInstitute of Science and Technology Austria·JournalNature Physics·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateAug 12, 2024

How staph slips around

A study by Michigan State University reveals that certain proteins and peptides in the nasal and oral environments create lubricants for bacterial colonies to move towards vulnerable sites. The discovery provides new insights into how staphylococcus bacteria spread, shedding light on conditions that accelerate their movement.

SourceMichigan State University·JournalmBio·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 23, 2024

Lymphoma patients at high risk of infections after diagnosis

Patients with mantle cell lymphoma are more vulnerable to other diseases and infections due to intensive chemotherapy and a weakened immune system. A large-scale national study found that MCL patients had twice as many infections as reference subjects, with common causes including influenza and urinary tract infections.

SourceUppsala University·JournalHemaSphere·TypeObservational study·DateJul 8, 2024