Experts build database of "salutogenic potential" revealing how hidden microbes and natural compounds help keep us healthy.

Recent research has expanded on the idea that the trees around us are far more complex than they appear. Hidden beneath bark and throughout the roots are vast communities of microbes, trillions of ...

They are the oldest forms of life, and by sheer quantity, they dominate the planet. But how bacteria and archaea interact with each other and their environment is essentially unknown. "It's really ...

Microbes are usually cast as villains, yet most of the microscopic life on and around us is quietly keeping us alive. From the bacteria lining your gut to the organisms drifting in city air, these ...

A nne Madden is a self-proclaimed “microbe wrangler.” Her inner explorer and scientist emerged during her undergraduate years at Wellesley College, during an internship in Costa Rica. Surrounded by ...

Venn diagram of shared and unique publicly available bacterial metagenome-only operational taxonomic units (mOTUs) originating from various genome categories. The gray circle represents 127,766 ...

Researchers have developed an innovative methodology for measuring the electrical conductivity of microbial communities. This methodology holds promise for the development of batteries and ...

Illustration by Joanne Imperio / The Atlantic. Sources: BSIP / UIG / Getty; Smith Collection / Gado / Getty. Conservationists pride themselves on protecting all of Earth’s life, not just the flashy ...

Scientists discovered that octopuses use their limbs to sample the microbiomes on the surfaces they touch. By Sofia Quaglia Sofia Quaglia earlier reported on fish that use their legs (yes, legs) to ...