News by Subject Biology

Now, researchers have shown that it is possible to evoke a shift in the metabolism from fermentation to respiration of E. coli and baker's yeast by optimizing fermentation conditions. This shift means that the cells can be pushed into producing more internal energy (ATP).

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have developed an organ-on-an-electronic-chip platform, which uses bioelectrical sensors to measure the electrophysiology of the heart cells in three dimensions. These 3D, self-rolling biosensor arrays coil up over heart cell spheroid tissues to form an 'organ-on-e-chip,' thus enabling the researchers to study how cells communicate with each other in multicellular systems such as the heart.

A group of researchers may have found a way to reverse falling crop yields caused by increasingly salty farmlands throughout the world. Brigham Young University scientists have used bacteria found in the roots of salt-tolerant plants to successfully inoculate alfalfa plants against overly salty soil.

Research led by Kyushu University finds that E. coli from cattle share widespread genetic similarities with those that cause food poisoning in humans, indicating that the traits that are harmful to humans may emerge to improve survival in the bovine intestine.

A steady supply of its favorite food helps a deadly bacterium thrive in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis, according to a new study by Columbia researchers.

A new Northwestern University study discovered that spaceflight -- both aboard a space shuttle or the International Space Station (ISS) -- has a consistent effect on the gut microbiome.

A globally important ocean algae is mysteriously scarce in one of the most productive regions of the Atlantic Ocean, according to a new paper. A massive dataset has revealed patterns in the regions where Atlantic coccolithophores live, illuminating the inner workings of the ocean carbon cycle and raising new questions.