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Photo of Xenopus laevis tadpole that Researchers injected cyanobacteria into
Caught on Camera
Selected images from the-scientist.com
Caught on Camera
Caught on Camera

Selected images from the-scientist.com

Selected images from the-scientist.com

cyanobacteria

The head of a tadpole is pictured. Its eye is black, but the rest of its head is various shades of green
Scientists Use Photosynthesis to Power an Animal’s Brain
Abby Olena, PhD | Oct 13, 2021 | 3 min read
Injecting oxygen-generating algae into tadpoles allows brain activity to continue in the absence of oxygen, researchers find.
A purple bulge of microbes on the bottom of a lake
Longer Days Led to Oxygen Buildup on Early Earth: Study
Amanda Heidt | Aug 3, 2021 | 4 min read
Researchers propose that some of the planet’s earliest photosynthesizers benefited from a slowing of the Earth’s rotation that allowed them to produce a surplus of oxygen and paved the way for more complex life.  
An illustration of an orange bacteriophage virus sitting on top of a green bacterium
Some Viruses Use an Alternative Genetic Alphabet
Abby Olena, PhD | Apr 29, 2021 | 4 min read
In a trio of studies, researchers follow up on a 40-year-old finding that certain bacteriophages replace adenine with so-called diaminopurine, perhaps to avoid host degradation.
Bald Eagle Killer Identified
Abby Olena, PhD | Mar 25, 2021 | 5 min read
After a nearly 30-year hunt, researchers have shown that a neurotoxin generated by cyanobacteria on invasive plants is responsible for eagle and waterbird deaths from vacuolar myelinopathy.
a bay in the Antarctic
Nitrogen-Fixing Microbes Found in Antarctic Sea
Shawna Williams | Oct 28, 2020 | 4 min read
The discovery puts a nail in the coffin of a long-held assumption about the limits of where the essential process can occur.
Mass Elephant Die-Off Caused by Cyanobacteria, Officials Say
Max Kozlov | Sep 23, 2020 | 2 min read
Tests point to a toxic algal bloom that might have led to the unprecedented deaths of hundreds of African elephants in Botswana earlier this year, but the evidence isn’t conclusive.
Did Contaminated Water Exacerbate Brazilian Babies’ Zika Symptoms?
Ashley Yeager | Jun 1, 2020 | 4 min read
Elevated levels of a neurotoxin in northeastern Brazil’s drinking water and a high incidence of microcephaly in the region led scientists to look for a link, and they found one.
Image of the Day: Living Concrete
Emily Makowski | Jan 16, 2020 | 2 min read
Bacteria and sand form a strong building material.
Blue-Green Algae Produce Methane
Ruth Williams | Jan 15, 2020 | 3 min read
Biological production of this greenhouse gas, once thought to be the reserve of anaerobic microbes, occurs in these widespread, photosynthesizing cyanobacteria.
dinoflagellate marine microbe microbes ocean cyanobacteria symbiotic symbiont symbionts
Image of the Day: Stowaway
Chia-Yi Hou | Jun 26, 2019 | 1 min read
Previously undetected cyanobacteria are symbionts of dinoflagellates.
Image of the Day: Multiple Choice
Sukanya Charuchandra | Jun 19, 2018 | 1 min read
Photosynthesis can happen in more than one way.  
Bright Lights and Bacteria Treat Rats’ Heart Attacks
Ruth Williams | Jun 14, 2017 | 3 min read
Injecting photosynthetic microbes into oxygen-starved heart tissue can improve cardiac function in rodents. 
Sugar Time
Catherine Offord | Mar 1, 2016 | 2 min read
Metabolic activity, not light, drives the circadian clock in cyanobacteria.
Sighted Microbes
Catherine Offord | Feb 9, 2016 | 2 min read
Photosynthetic cyanobacteria sense light in much the same way as a human eyeball, scientists show.
Circadian Clock Transplant
Ruth Williams | Jun 12, 2015 | 3 min read
Scientists establish a functional circadian rhythm in bacteria that don’t possess one naturally.
Dog’s Worst Friend
Nsikan Akpan | May 1, 2014 | 4 min read
US dogs face a deadly threat from algae-spawned toxins lurking in lakes, but there may be an antidote.
Sea Otter’s Scourge
Nsikan Akpan | Apr 30, 2014 | 1 min read
A hidden toxin stalks marine mammals off the coast of California and kills dogs and cats farther inland.
Week in Review: April 21–25
Tracy Vence | Apr 25, 2014 | 3 min read
Evolution of Y chromosome; delivering gene with “bionic ears”; diversity of an important cyanobacterium; charting genome-sequencing progress; blockbuster pharma deals
Microbe’s Diversity Is Vast, Ancient
Kerry Grens | Apr 24, 2014 | 3 min read
A marine cyanobacterium possesses astounding genomic diversity, yet still organizes into distinct subpopulations that have likely persisted for ages.
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