One species of bacteria seems to get many of the perks of sexual reproduction without actually having sex, a new study finds. Different strains of bacteria called Mycobacterium smegmatis swap large, ...

Generating offspring is the evolutionary goal of all living organisms. The multiplication of individual cells is coordinated by the cell cycle. Researchers have now identified the central switch for ...

In recent decades, the interdisciplinary field of life sciences has made enormous progress, particularly in researching the molecular architecture of life. For example, extensive details of the ...

Endosymbiotic relationships—in which one organism lives within another—are striking examples of mutualism, and can often significantly shape the biology of the participant species. In new findings ...

Sexual reproduction is costly to those organisms that depend on it, like humans. For starters, only half of the population can bear offspring and the other half has to work hard to make sure they're ...

To model bacterial life, Thornburg and his colleagues turned to one of its simplest examples: a bacterial cell with a ...

Researchers have discovered a 'clockwork' mechanism that controls cell division in bacteria. They report how a small signaling molecule starts the 'clock', which informs the cell about the right time ...

Understanding the differences between bacteria and viruses is crucial for recognizing how these microorganisms impact our ...