The leaf beetle Spilopyra sumptuosa lives in the rainforests of eastern Australia. Its spectacular, colorful appearance is an example of the rich diversity of the large family of leaf beetles. The ...

Antibiotic resistance is widely recognized as one of the most urgent public health challenges of the twenty first century. Now, a new study shows that even very small amounts of antibiotics that ...

Like most bacteria, Vibrio cholerae lives under constant attack from viruses. To survive, bacteria equip themselves with antiviral immune systems. Previous work showed that V. cholerae carries a large ...

Research has shed important new light on the enemies-turned-allies that allow bacteria to exchange genes, including those linked to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Genomic islands are substantial segments of DNA embedded within bacterial genomes that are typically acquired through horizontal gene transfer. These regions frequently harbour clusters of genes ...

A new study finds that bacteria can actively block the transfer of beneficial genes to neighboring cells, using specialized ...

Study reveals how domesticated virus-like particles enable bacteria to share DNA, with implications for antimicrobial ...

The fungus that causes coffee wilt disease repeatedly took up segments of DNA from a related fungal pathogen, which contributed to successive outbreaks of the disease, according to a new report. The ...

Antibiotic resistance is worsening worldwide, and plasmid conjugation is a major way resistance genes spread. A new study in ...

Researchers have discovered that some bacteria use a protein called YokF to actively block plasmid DNA transfer through nanotubes, preventing neighboring cells from acquiring potentially beneficial ...