Bacteria use chemical signals to communicate and coordinate with one another

Bacteria rapidly evolve (and share) new defenses against drugs they encounter

Unlike humans, bacteria rapidly make genetic changes in response to their environment, including creating defense against antibiotics. Furthermore, these defenses are passed on to their future generations and can even be shared with neighboring bacteria through horizontal gene transfer.

Single-cell organisms have circadian clocks that direct daily biochemical routines

Cyanobacteria, a type of light-sensitive bacteria, use this clock to signal when to alternate between making organic compounds through photosynthesis and when to convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable ammonia. Upregulating photosynthetic machinery before dawn helps ensure efficient photosynthesis.

How bitter taste receptors help guard against infection

Receptors for "bitter" tastes evolved to detect potentially harmful plant chemicals, such as nicotine. The receptors also trigger bacteria-fighting responses, including waving hairlike projections to bat away bacteria, ordering the release of bacteria-killing nitric oxide, and calling for antimicrobial protein reinforcements.

Bacteria in our intestine influence the brain via the gut-brain axis

The gut-brain axis refers to the physical connection between the central nervous system and the digestive tract. Signaling molecules and hormones produced in the gut directly affect brain functions via this internal highway.

Recombinant DNA technology turns microorganisms into protein factories

Genes for molecules such as insulin can be inserted into loops of bacterial DNA called plasmids and reinserted into bacteria. Once placed in fermentation tanks, these bacteria use the gene to produce these molecules, which are then harvested and purified for eventual use.

Bacteria have been genetically engineered to bioluminesce when wine has spoiled

Developed by researchers at Hebrew University, the method involves the firefly enzyme luciferase, which emits light from within bacteria expressing when they are in the presence of acetic acid vapors produced by wine. The process provides affordable, on-site, real-time monitoring of fermentation quality.

Researchers generally group gut bacteria into six different categories

The trillions of bacteria in the gut microbiome can be grouped into six categories: firmicutes, actinomycetota, pseudomonadota, fusobacteriota, bacteroides, and a broad miscellaneous category. The functions of each are complex but range from breaking down food and producing vitamins to fighting pathogens.

Corynebacterium species are particularly responsible for our funky smell

Myriad bacteria contribute to our body odor, but research suggests that Corynebacterium species are strongly associated with the bad smells emanating from adults. Staphylococcus and Cutibacterium genera may also play leading roles.

Explore how cells respond to signals from their environment

In "Dropping Signals," users can drag stimuli, such as hormones and light, into various cellular environments to observe cellular responses. These include changing their shape, enabling the transport of chemicals into or out of the cell via the cell membrane, or dividing to compensate for surrounding damaged cells.

Microbes are essential to creating the many varieties of cheese, influencing texture and taste

Microbes break down proteins and fats and produce compounds with distinct tastes. These microbes can include bacteria (like the one used to give Swiss its trademark holes), molds (like the ones that give blue cheese its distinctive veining), and countless other tiny organisms.

Some female fireflies mimic the signals of other species to lure in and eat them

The genus Photuris does not produce its own defensive pheromones to ward off predators, so it has developed mimicry to attract males of firefly species that do. Unsuspecting males are consumed after these chemicals—lucibufagins—are extracted.

Our sense of smell affects what foods taste like and how we perceive it

Scent stimulates our olfactory sensor neurons high in the nasal cavity, and the brain attaches labels to those scents. But when we eat, chemicals from the foods travel from our mouths and throat to those neurons. We have roughly 400 odor receptors, and they can be used to decipher more than 10,000 different odors (or more than one trillion by some calculations), including the nuances of different foods.

Neurons send signals through electrical impulses and chemical messengers

By converting electrical signals into chemical messages at synapses, neurons allow information to travel throughout the nervous system. With repeated use, synapses grow stronger, enhancing the associations between neurons.

The adaptations of metallophiles and how they can be harnessed for bioremediation

These extremophiles have adapted to biomes with very high concentrations of metals and toxic chemicals by developing mechanisms to isolate these substances within cellular compartments and break them down into less harmful forms with specialized proteins. They have the potential to support the decontamination of metal-rich wastewater and soil, as well as the extraction of rare-earth metals.

Scientific applications of bubbles include logic gates, laser production, and medical imaging

Microbubbles of nonreactive gas can be administered to improve the reflection of sound waves and the resulting imaging during an ultrasound. Bouncing light waves within a bubble can stimulate emission of light from a trapped chemical, just as occurs within a laser, and bubbles can act as valves that control the flow and reaction rates in microfluidic systems.

Making industrial chemicals with synthetic biology

A new report forecasts that synthetic biology will transform from creating niche, environmentally friendly products to creating new molecules within the next decade.

Plant hormones and growth regulators guide growth stages and responses in plants

Plants naturally produce hormones like auxin and gibberellins, while humans apply synthetic or extracted growth regulators to control plant development. These substances influence processes like flowering, root growth, dormancy, and ripening—even in very small doses.

Watch how coral bleaching resembles an organism's immune system attacking itself

Microorganisms called zooxanthellae are in a symbiotic relationship with coral polyps and provide them with food created through photosynthesis. When ocean temperatures or sunlight exceed an optimal range, zooxanthellae release harmful chemicals that irritate coral cells. To protect themselves, corals sacrifice their food source and expel the colorful microorganisms, becoming white.

Cells translate genetic information into proteins using RNA messengers

Genes are segments of DNA, each composed of a sequence of nitrogenous bases. Within the nucleus, these sequences are copied into a single strand of ribonucleic acid during transcription. This strand leaves the nucleus and is translated by ribosomes into a chain of amino acids that folds into a functional protein.

Coral reefs get their colors from zooxanthellae—microorganisms that line corals' digestive tracts and provide them with sugars in exchange for a home within this protective tissue.

Adhesion molecules and intercellular junctions allow cells to connect together

While some organic structures are mostly composed of non-cellular components (e.g., collagen and calcium phosphate minerals in bones), tissues and organs composed of connected cells rely on specialized proteins and connections to create watertight seals that protect cells within the interior from environmental molecules.

Umami synergy—combining glutamates and nucleotides—can amplify a meal

While glutamates are known for triggering the umami taste through specific taste receptors, nucleotides like IMP and GMP can bind alongside glutamates to enhance the receptor's response. This union explains why certain classic food combinations like bacon and eggs taste exceptionally savory.

Learn how cholera bacteria sicken humans

Once a person has ingested large amounts of the bacteria, typically through contaminated water, cholera bacteria begin producing and releasing a toxin inside their host. It attacks the mucosal lining of the intestine, making it hard to absorb liquids. This process leads to cholera's characteristic symptoms, like voluminous, watery diarrhea.

Humans are wired to pick up on each other's emotion, making laughter contagious

The reaction plays a key role in establishing interpersonal connections and relieving stress by releasing endorphins—feel-good hormones. A 2021 study identified at least 65 animal species that produce playful sounds, such as laughter.

Food poisoning investigations have led to more than 1 billion pounds of food recalls

PulseNet is the US government’s real-time foodborne illness tracking system for leading causes of food poisoning. There, a network of labs and scientists share DNA sequences for pathogens collected from contaminated food and also from sickened individuals, looking for patterns in the pathogens’ genome sequences that will help them hopefully finger a certain food, warehouse, producer, or restaurant.

Honeybees vomit nectar into one another's mouths to transform it into honey

Digestive enzymes break down long chains of complex sugars into simple monosaccharides, while the fanning of their wings helps honeybees evaporate water away. This process increases the acidity of the resulting honey, increasing its shelf life when sealed in beeswax.

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

Learn how monoclonal antibodies, which mimic the body's antibodies, can fight diseases like Ebola.

Budweiser stores yeast derived from the original 1800s strain in a secret bunker, which only the Head of Yeast Management can access—not even the CEO

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Scientists can determine Earth's past climate conditions by analyzing air trapped in microscopic bubbles within ice cores—columns of compressed snow layers that build up over hundreds of thousands of years.

Some Pokémon have been named after real and fictional organisms, while some real-world species have been named after Pokémon, such as Chilicola charizard and Binburrum zapdos.

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

Bone marrow (soft tissue found inside certain bones) generates roughly 500 billion new blood cells each day

Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley' is infamous for having some of the highest industrial pollution, toxic air emissions, and cancer risks in the US.

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

During the French Revolution, a botanist's letter asking about "dear Rhus" (poison ivy) was intercepted, leading authorities to suspect he was conspiring with the Russians.

Lesser-known phobias include turophobia, or the fear of cheese, and nomophobia, the fear of being without your cell phone.

The Nasdaq's 'Magnificent 7' companies are responsible for roughly 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, while the remaining 93 companies account for the other 60%.

While the sun's gravity keeps the planets in orbit, their gravity also pulls on the sun, causing it and everything else in the solar system to orbit around a mutual balance point called the barycenter—the true center of the solar system.

'Shogun,' a 1980s TV series, helped popularize sushi in the US by stimulating an American interest in Japanese culture.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'