Scientists have genetically modified isolated microbes for decades. Now, using CRISPR, they intend to target entire microbiomes.

All multicellular creatures interact with bacteria, but some have taken the relationship to another level with highly specialized structures that house, feed, and exploit the tiny organisms.

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

Pointers for keeping your cell cultures free of mycoplasma contamination

As the necessity of cleaning up the environment moves to the forefront of the public's consciousness, researchers in increasing numbers have been enlisting some of the earth's tiniest creatures to help clean up highly polluted sites and reclaim soils and groundwater systems. Stimulated by advances in microbiology and biotechnology, the booming multidisciplinary field of environmental biotechnology focuses on the use of microorganisms to treat or degrade hazardous waste, encompassing the techniq

Identification of new archaea species elucidates the domain’s unique  biology and sheds light on its relationship to eukaryotes.

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE Modern Biotechnology S B Penrose. Blackwell Scientific: September, 200 pp, $24.95. Provides detailed information on recombinant DNA technology, industrial microbiology, monoclonal antibodies, and plant and animal cell culture; includes a discussion of the legal, social and ethical issues surrounding biotechnology. EARTH SCIENCE Deformation of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks (No. 28). M.E. Jones and R.M.F. Preston, eds. Blackwell Scientific: September, 360 pp, $90. Reports

Bacteria that live in the digestive tracts of animals may influence the adaptive trajectories of their hosts.

Several labs have reported the formation of bacterial nanotubes under different, often contrasting conditions. What are these structures and why are they so hard to reproduce?

Kelp in warm, acidified waters develop blistered fronds—and the composition of microbial communities could help explain why, a study suggests.