The Bacterial Nanotubes Debate

Meet some of the people featured in the June 2021 issue of The Scientist.

The recent news of consumers hoarding gasoline in the face of a brief closure of one of the world’s biggest petroleum pipelines is just the latest episode of panic buying since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.

In addition to continued scruitiny of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, research on similar pathogens could aid in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and future disease outbreaks.

More and more people are traveling around the world to watch the luminous displays of fireflies, but tourism-related light pollution and habitat degradation threaten to snuff out the insects at some locations.  

Projects aimed at collecting big data about the ocean’s tiniest life forms continue to expand our view of the seas.

A study finds that fast-growing species are stymied by narrow gaps, while slower-growing species can pass through and continue extending.

A chronically stressed amygdala can prime the heart to overreact to acute stress events, a new study shows.

Scientists use a protein found in mucus membranes to ferry vaccines to the lymph nodes.

The New Mexico State University soil microbiologist uses molecular tools to understand how fungi are adapting to a warming world and what that might mean for global nutrient cycles.

With multiple microbiota therapeutics in the pipeline for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection, clinicians foresee a shift in treatment options for the condition.

Understanding how the brain coordinates electrical activity could be key to developing more-effective treatments for a variety of brain disorders.

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

Differences in how researchers prepare and image samples can lead to discrepancies in their results.

Research in mice and humans points to oxidative stress and inflammation as likely drivers of noise-induced health effects such as hypertension and heart disease.

Unlike other cellular appendages, bacterial nanotubes are made solely of lipids and can connect the cytoplasm of different microbial species.

A study finds that slower-growing species are better able to adjust their growth to fit their hyphae through narrow passages.