Bacillus Subtilis News and Research

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Spinning Into Resistance: The Flagella’s Hidden Role

A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reveals that bacterial movement plays a central role in the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. The research team discovered that the rotation of flagella in Bacillus subtilis acts as a mechanical signal that activates key conjugation genes.

8 Apr 2025

New Technique Simplifies Search for Life Beyond Earth

Researchers have long investigated what type of life exists beyond Earth and how we can find it. A new method focuses on looking for one of the most basic signs of living microbes – movement.

8 Feb 2025

How Streptomyces Uses Iron to Target Competitor Bacteria

Researchers at Indiana University Bloomington have identified a new mechanism by which bacteria can eliminate their competitors within intricate microbial communities, highlighting innovative strategies to utilize viruses for targeting harmful bacteria.

9 Jan 2025

Magnesium-Focused Approach to Curbing Antibiotic Resistance

According to recent estimates, the number of fatal antibiotic-resistant illnesses is expected to increase significantly over the next 25 years.

18 Nov 2024

Cryo-EM Technology Paves the Way for Major Biological Discovery

Ben Orlando's research talk at MSU's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2019 laid the groundwork for a team effort that had been developing for decades.

25 Oct 2024

CRISPR Takes Probiotics to the Next Level

Humans can benefit significantly from symbiotic relationships with probiotics-;live bacteria and microorganisms that influence the gut microbiota.

14 Dec 2023

Mucus Thickness Dictates Bacterial Behavior, Affecting Infection Potential

The telltale signs of cold and flu season—sniffles, snorts, and the sound of noses being blown—serve as indicators of increased mucus production.

6 Dec 2023

Novel Approach Reveals Intergenerational Cooperation Among Bacteria

Bacteria collaborate and share nutrients among generations when they form communities. Using a recently invented technique, researchers at the University of Basel have been able to demonstrate this for the first time.

22 Nov 2023

Bacteria Have Complex Circadian Clocks, Study Finds

Bacteria make up more than 10% of all living things but until recently we had little realization that, as in humans, soil bacteria have internal clocks that synchronize their activities with the 24-hour cycles of day and night on Earth.

7 Aug 2023

Beneficial Microbe Could be Effective Against Fungal Pathogens Wreaking Havoc on Golf Courses

There's a reason sports leagues from the pros on down use turfgrass. It is a hearty grass that can be mowed to exceedingly short heights and tolerates trampling foot traffic with ease.

4 Aug 2023

New Mechanism of Cannibalism Discovered in Bacillus velezensis SQR9

When considering a bacterial population as a multicellular community, it is imperative to understand the inherent roles of maintaining homeostasis and viability in response to environmental factors.

3 Aug 2023

How Bacteria Take Action to Break Out of Dormancy

Solving a riddle that has confounded biologists since bacterial spores -; inert, sleeping bacteria -; were first described more than 150 years ago, researchers at Harvard Medical School have discovered a new kind of cellular sensor that allows spores to detect the presence of nutrients in their environment and quickly spring back to life.

2 May 2023

Researchers Reveal Dual Nature of Beneficial Bacteria UD1022

Alfalfa, also known in Latin as Medicago sativa, is an agricultural crop that is part of the legume family. It is known as a protein-rich food source for dairy cattle that is easily digested and can lead to increased milk production.

19 Apr 2023

New biobattery could power ingestible cameras in the small intestine

Tech companies have developed many devices that work outside the body, such as cell phones, smart watches, tablets and hundreds of others. Inside the body, though? That's obviously trickier for several reasons, but power for a device is a big one.

14 Dec 2022

Spores integrate environmental signals over time

When exposed to starvation and stress, certain bacteria enter a dormant state in which life functions cease. These cells, known as spores, can resist punishing extremes of heat, pressure, and even the extreme conditions of outer space by entering a profound hibernation.

7 Oct 2022

Understanding the regulation of intramembrane proteases across the tree of life

Working with tiny bacteria, Michigan State University researchers led by Lee Kroos have made a discovery that could have big implications for biology.

27 Apr 2022

Exceptional research recordings display RNA switching “on” and “off”

RNA switches (also known as riboswitches) control which genes are turned “on” and “off”, much like a light switch. Although this appears to be a straightforward process, biologists have been astonished by the inner workings of these switches for decades.

1 Apr 2022

Cryo-EM reveals how a bacterial protein senses and rescues stalled ribosomes

As a molecular machine found in the cells of all organisms, the ribosome is responsible for making new proteins.

11 Mar 2022

Model system for biofilms studied at the BESSY II

Bacterial biofilms can thrive on almost all types of surfaces: We find them on rocks and plants, on teeth and mucous membranes, but also on contact lenses, medical implants or catheters, in the hoses of the dairy industry or drinking water pipes, where they can pose a serious threat to human health.

1 Feb 2022