Wherever different species live within the same niche, they will interact with each other. Bacteria can interact with both other bacteria and other species. These microbial and bacterial interactions can lead to competition for food or available space, a helpful arrangement to support both species or neutral living together. Especially these bacterial interactions have huge impacts on the ecology of our environments and in organisms.
Microbes are everywhere. And some have superpowers that allow them to grow in extremely challenging and harsh environments. Especially at the dark and cold bottom of the sea, extremophiles flourish since they interact with other microbes and eat pollutants and contaminants. Interestingly, their microbial activities can also impact our global climate.
Bacteria in your gut microbiome help you digest your food, strengthen your immune system and keep you healthy. For this, your gut bacteria keep you free from gut pathogenic bacteria by fighting them with different weapons. Here, we explore some ways gut bacteria defend pathogens and how you can help them protect you.
To feed the growing population on our planet, we need to improve our agriculture for plants to stay healthy and produce crops efficiently. One way to protect plants from diseases is to use biocontrol bacteria that actively kill intruding pathogens. Hence, by increasing our food supply, bacteria can help us save this planet.
We use antibiotics to kill bacteria and fungi. Yet, antibiotics are produced by these microbes to ensure their own survival in the environment. But not only microbes that produce antibiotics benefit from them, but often even other organisms. Read on to find out how antibiotics can help many players.
Thiovulum majus is a large bacterium that needs a lot of nutrients and energy. To find the perfect location in shallow water, it builds white net-like veils. By attaching to these veils and fast rotation, the bacteria bring in freshwater with lots of new nutrients to keep the community alive.
Pathogens and dirty particles contaminate our water supply. But helpful microbes can remove harmful bacteria and pollutants and thus clean our drinking water.
Some bacteria have special hair-like structures to connect to surfaces or other organisms. These bacterial pili help them move along that surface or pull themselves closer to a prey or host. Read about why bacteria need those pili when they are out hunting or infecting us.
Yogurt is a well-loved fermented dairy with lots of health benefits. It not only provides us with valuable proteins and immune-stimulating molecules, but can also carry probiotic organisms. Here, we will look at the advantages of adding yogurt to your diet plan and what bacteria have to do with producing this creamy white dream.
Microbes produce nutrients and help promote plant growth to produce more bountiful crops and sustainable agriculture.
Bacteria can be harmless or dangerous to us and other organisms in the environment. But how does a bacterium become a fighter ready to kill others? It comes all down to their toxic bullets. Here we will look at how bacterial siblings use different weapons to fight off not only their enemies but also each other.
A deadly fungus kills many exotic amphibians. Luckily, some bacteria antibiotics to kill the fungal intruder and thus protect the animal. With this colourful strategy, the right microbial community might even save whole species from extinction.
When bacteria fight competitors with their type 6 secretion system nanoweapons, they shoot deadly arrows. These arrows are made of specific parts that interact with each other in unique ways for each arrow. Here, we will look at these different parts: the tip, the spike and the toxin.
In bacterial battles, there is more than just direct killing. Some bacteria even fight by destroying the houses of their opponents. We could learn a lot from these bacterial wars for our own fights against bacterial superbugs.
Bacteria also don’t like being lonely and need to know they are not alone. And often they need to talk to other bacteria and interact with them. To do so, they use a mechanism called quorum sensing. Read on to find out more about this fascinating mechanism.
When we eat plant products, we cannot always digest all their components. Instead, our gut bacteria love plant ploymers and start degrading and digesting them. And they share the leftover food with other bacteria, so that all of them together produce some very healthy molecules for us.
When thinking of bacteria, you might have the picture of a single cell in your mind. But interestingly, some bacteria come as multicellular organisms with advanced functions. Here, we will learn what multicellular bacteria are and why bacteria form multicellular organisms. We will then look at some colourful examples of multicellular bacteria.
Bacteria use nanoweapons to kill other bacteria. For long, it was unclear how toxins stick to the arrow of these nanoweapons. Now, a new study visualised the type 6 secretion system spike and showed how bacteria glue the toxin to the arrow.
Microbes and bacteria touch every aspect of our lives. They have so many superpowers that impact the environment, food production, bioremediation and even the climate. Here, we will look at 20 of the most fascinating bacterial superpowers and tell you where you might encounter them throughout your day. But don’t forget, there are plenty more.
Bacteria can form outer membrane vesicles and fill them with antibiotics. They then send these toxic bubbles off to kill competing bacteria.
Your gut microbiome is full of helpful and fascinating bacteria. They all work together to keep you healthy, digest your food and fight off intruders. Here, you will learn about what a healthy gut microbiome is, what it does and how to keep it.
Wherever different species live within the same niche, they will interact with each other. Bacteria can interact with both other bacteria and other species. These microbial and bacterial interactions can lead to competition for food or available space, a helpful arrangement to support both species or neutral living together. Especially these bacterial interactions have huge impacts on the ecology of our environments and in organisms.
