history, microbiology

Multiple lines of evidence contradict the idea that the disease came to Europe via trans-Atlantic exchange.

Genetic testing of people who died in Kyrgyzstan eight years before plague reached Europe reveals an ancient strain of the bacterium Yersinia pestis.

A contaminated ham put bacteriologist Émile Pierre-Marie van Ermengem on the path to discovering the microbe that produces botulinum toxin.

Researchers report chemical and molecular signatures of microbial activity from millions of years ago in mineral samples from abandoned mines in Sweden and nearby countries.

Ruth Ella Moore had a trailblazing career, overcoming barriers of racism and sexism as she pursued her interest in microbiology.

Early investigations of the microbial communities in and around sunken boats reveal that there are patterns to where bacteria settle.

Although modern society seems to be unwilling or unable to learn from the past, doing so just might hold the key to envisioning a brighter future.

Download our poster of the biggest milestones, from the discovery of the viral family in humans in the 1960s to the identification of SARS-CoV-2.

Milder, cold-causing members of this pathogenic viral family long remained under the radar, although they aren’t entirely harmless.

Scientists extracted 4,500-year-old yeast from Egyptian pottery to use in breadmaking.

Treating the microbial community residing on a painting with probiotics may offer a way to stave off biodegradation, a study suggests.

Bacteriologist Alice Evans identified the pathogen that causes undulant fever, leading her to push for the pasteurization of milk.

Most didn’t believe French doctor Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran when he said he’d spotted the causative agent of the disease—and that it was an animal.

By ditching traditional agar-based media, two biochemists captured iconic images of Myxococcus in 1982.

A new genomic analysis reveals that the pathogen responsible for the gastrointestinal disease likely originated in Europe and hitched a ride to new lands with settlers.

Renowned sleep researcher Nathaniel Kleitman and a colleague spent a month underground to test the body’s natural rhythms.

A spring cleaning led to the rediscovery of Theodor Boveri’s microscope slides, presumed lost during World War II.

When European explorers and fishermen began to frequent Canada’s shores in the 16th century, they brought with them a plethora of tools and trinkets, including knives, axes, kettles, and blankets. 

As epidemics swept across the United States in the 19th century, the US government recognized the pressing need for a national lab dedicated to the study of infectious disease.