Microbe metabolism
Every living organism balances a budget of sorts — by allocating energy to various parts of its body to fuel essential life processes. Throughout its lifetime, an organism may rebalance this budget to...
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Weapon-wielding marine microbes may protect populations from foes
Professor Martin Polz, left, and postdoc Otto Cordero examine a petri dish of Vibrio bacteria.Photo: James M. Long, MIT Competition is a strong driving force of evolution for organisms of all sizes:...
View ArticleThree from MIT named Marine Microbiology Initiative investigators
Three MIT researchers were named Marine Microbiology Initiative investigators on Monday by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation — an honor that includes funding for pioneering research in the field of...
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Microbiologists eavesdrop on the hidden lives of microbes
Microbiologists who study wild marine microbes, as opposed to the lab-grown variety, face enormous challenges in getting a clear picture of the daily activities of their subjects. But a team of...
View ArticleBringing life to computer models of marine microbes
As a member of the interdisciplinary Darwin Project in the MIT Earth Systems Initiative, biogeochemical modeler Michael (Mick) Follows investigates the enormous role phytoplankton play in the ocean...
View ArticleBuckling up to turn
Bacteria swim by rotating the helical, hairlike flagella that extend from their unicellular bodies. Some bacteria, including the Escherichia coli (E. coli) living in the human gut, have multiple...
View ArticleHoming in on stressed coral
Coral reefs, the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world’s oceans, provide safe harbor for fish and organisms of many sizes that make homes among the branches, nooks, and crannies of the treelike...
View ArticleResearchers find that going with the flow makes bacteria stick
In a surprising new finding, researchers have discovered that bacterial movement is impeded in flowing water, enhancing the likelihood that the microbes will attach to surfaces. The new work could have...
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