Deep Earth Is Teeming with Mysterious Life
It may seem fantastical, but there is a living world deep, deep beneath our feet. Go below the soil, beyond the…
Bizarre Microbes Represent a Major New Branch on the Evolutionary Family Tree
Canadian scientists have identified microscopic creatures that are so unlike anything seen before, they had to create…
First Major Rain in Centuries Triggers Wave of Death in Earth's Driest Desert
After not experiencing any meaningful amounts of precipitation for at least 500 years, Chile’s Atacama Desert is…
Bacteria Floating 30,000 Feet Overhead Could Be Influencing the Weather
We humans tend to pride ourselves on our ability to adapt, but bacteria have been beating us at this game for billions…
Photosynthesizing Bacteria Found Thriving Thousands of Feet Below Earth's Surface
An international team of researchers has identified a peculiar population of cyanobacteria living within rocks deep…
Diseased Ocean Microbes Could Be Messing With the Weather
Our oceans are brimming with microscopic phytoplankton—plant-like organisms that contribute significantly to marine…
Scientists Develop Important Tool for Connecting Poo Bacteria to Health
Your poop is a living forest. Seriously! Hundreds of species of microbes thrive inside of you, helping you to live your…
Yep, It's Still Not a Good Idea to Eat Raw Cookie Dough
For some, sneaking a mouthful of raw cookie dough while baking is an indelible—and certainly delicious—part of the…
More Evidence That Pink Snow Will Be a Problem for the Planet
Last year, a team of European researchers was alarmed to learn that glaciers covered in pink snow—caused not by an…
Alarming Study Indicates Why Certain Bacteria Are More Resistant to Drugs in Space
To learn more about why some germs seem harder to kill in near-weightless conditions, scientists aboard the ISS…
Scientists Made Music From the Human Microbiome, and It’s Seriously Cool
There are many mysteries of human biology. Among those perhaps least considered, what do our bodies sound like?
Doctors Slam New Recommendation That We Should Stop Antibiotic Treatments Early
Scientists from the UK caused quite a stir this week, when they announced that we don’t necessarily need to complete a…
Certain Penis-Dwelling Bacteria Might Increase Your HIV Risk
HIV transmission is a complex process with factors beyond just who you sleep with and how. The virus ultimately needs…
Textbook-Rewriting Discovery Could Help Predict the Next Influenza Pandemic
Every year we go through the same motions: Scientists figure out what the most common flu strains will be, and prepare…
Komodo Dragon Blood Could Save Your Life One Day
Many animals are good at healing us emotionally, like capybaras and tiny kittens in tiny hats. Regrettably though, if…
Scientists Code an Animated GIF Into DNA
What’s a strand of DNA but data? We often think of its units, the As, Cs, Ts, and Gs, as letters of the words in an…
Why Is Greenland's Ice Sheet Covered in Industrial Waste-Chowing Bacteria?
The Greenland ice sheet is vast, majestic, pristine....and peppered with bacteria that seem equipped to survive in…
Your Eyeballs May Be Covered in Disease-Fighting Bacteria
If the eyes are windows to the soul, they’re open windows, potentially letting in all kinds of unwelcome bugs. To…
Astronauts Are Going to Fill Outer Space With All Kinds of Weird Fungus
Humans will make outer space dirty.
Athlete Poop Won't Improve Your Athletic Performance
The human body isn’t just your cells, but a home for trillions of bacteria. We know that many of those bacteria serve…