Viruses are both the villains and heroes of life as we know it

There is mounting evidence that the viruses that infect plants and animals are also a major source of genetic innovation in these organisms

US researchers bioengineer real-time visual speedometer

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium is found in plumbing systems, medical catheters, the human blood stream, as well as the urinary and …

Biodiversity loss could be making us sick – here’s why

Promoting connections with nature — including the microbes many of us currently shun — should be a key part of …

Now, a bacteria that can eat methane. Can it reduce global warming? Researchers say it’s possible

Bacterial strain Methylotuvimicrobium buryatense 5GB1C consumes methane, which is responsible for 30% global warming

MIT scientists develop technique to identify power producing bacteria

This technique can help sort bacteria present in mines, lakes or even in our gut into those that can power batteries

Probiotics: a first look at what's going on in the gut

The one-size-fits-all approach to probiotics is not ideal; they should instead be tailored to individuals, depending both on what they need and …

New method developed for faster typhoid diagnosis

Developed by scientists at IIT, Delhi, the new test requires minimal blood quantity, besides being accurate and potentially cost-effective

Microbiome-based skincare technology holds unique benefits for consumers & beauty industry

Biggest challenges facing the microbiome-based beauty products industry is safety & compliance with regulations

New ingestible, 3D printed pill can analyse gut microbiome

The biocompatible pill can easily sample different stages of the gastrointestinal tract, which was till now impossible to track non-invasively  

Antibiotic resistance rising in Helicobacter strains from Karnataka

Scientists find metronidazole and levofloxacin are no more potent against helicobacter infections in the state

How this bacterial strain from mosquito gut may help combat dengue

Researchers have been artificially infecting mosquitoes with Wolbachia, a bacteria that prevents replication of disease-causing virus in the guts …

Kashmir’s Dal Lake harbours bacteria that can degrade pesticides

The presence of naturally-occurring bacteria that is resistant to an insecticide widely used in the region may help in bioremediation …

Vaccines to prevent antimicrobial resistance: Accelerate trials for priority candidates, says WHO

Over 60 vaccines against antibiotic-resistant pathogens in clinical development stage  

Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in river water

Banaras Hindu University researchers collected samples at 5 ghats on the Ganga in Varanasi

Scientists synthesise new compound to fight stomach infections

IIT-Gandhinagar scientists have found a way to fight a bacteria that causes gastritis, peptic ulcers and stomach cancers

Lack of data on gut microbes in India a problem

Studies across the globe have linked intestinal microbes with protection from diseases; India may be sitting on a mine of information

Will John Chau’s body spread disease among the Sentinelese? Scientists differ

While the body will definitely give out pathogens, whether or not the Sentinelese are susceptible to them is not known

Buttermilk-based bioformulation helps in cotton disease control

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University researchers found that a plant growth promoting rhizo bacteria can be used to fight Tobacco Streak Virus in cotton

Pune scientists tweak anti-cancer drug to make it more effective

Researchers synthesised several new compounds from Sunitinib, a drug used to treat kidney cancers and at least one of them promises to be …

Scientists explain strange behaviour of gut bacteria resistant to TB drugs

Indian researchers have found that drug resistance seen in bifidobacteria is naturally occurring and can’t be passed on to other bacteria

Vertebrates received genes for vision from bacteria, finds study

The researchers, however, could not identify the bacteria that transferred its gene to vertebrates.  

Study warns diphtheria could become a major global threat

The relatively easily-preventable infection, has started to become resistant to several classes of antibiotics and in future, it may even become …

Avian botulism killed 18,000 birds at Sambhar: Govt report

The report by IVRI, Bareilly, states that climatic conditions were ultimately responsible for having triggered the mass die-off

Bacteriophages: An answer to antibiotic resistance

Research on new antibiotics have hit a wall. Bacteriophages that kill disease-causing bacteria provide an alternative treatment

In a different light

Here’s what Stanford University research papers, focusing on areas ranging from supermassive black holes to the intricacies of the human brain, …