microbiology, developmental biology

The top winner of the 2022 Nikon Small World in Motion contest shows cells migrating through a zebrafish embryo.

As cricket blastoderms form, cell nuclei are pulled into an egg’s remaining empty space to form the new cell layers that will shape the developing animal.

Work in rodents shows that the bacteria living in a mother’s gut can produce immunomodulatory metabolites and influence the production of maternal antibodies—both of which can affect her offspring’s development.

Bacteria in the gut influence the production of antibodies and themselves secrete metabolites. In a pregnant woman, these compounds may influence immune development of her fetus.

Researchers identify live bacteria in fetal guts, skin, lungs, and placentas that activate memory T cells, indicating that early exposure to microbes could help educate the developing immune system.

Four types of gut bacteria found in babies’ stool may help researchers predict the future development of asthma.

A symbiotic relationship between squid and bacteria provides an alternative explanation for bacterial sheathed flagella.