Microbiology

The parasite Toxoplasma gondii can change the behavior of infected wolves in ways that make them more likely to be pack leaders

A virologist explains what it takes for a virus to leap from an animal host into humans

Prevent your jack-o’-lantern from turning into moldy, maggoty mush before Halloween

Bacterial predators fight like wolves, torpedoes and vampires, and they could provide the next antibiotics

In case you missed it

Researchers design an artificial neuron that can trigger closure of a Venus flytrap.

A key player is revealed in the acne-causing immune battle

These organisms’ private “mucospheres” play an outsize role in the planet’s carbon cycle

There’s a structural reason your sponge hosts so many microbes

New studies reveal the complex world of bacterial epigenetics

The composite organisms, formed from the symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae, are crucial members of myriad ecosystems

Specific mutations hide the COVID-causing variant from the immune system and give it a new route into more cells