Future missions to the Moon could see astronauts growing the first plants on the lunar surface. But, getting lunar soil to grow plants has been a tricky process. Scientists may have finally had a ...

Tiny pieces of plastic, called microplastics, are showing up everywhere, even in the water in clouds, rain, and snow—and they ...

It is increasingly well understood that the countless microbes in our guts help us to digest our food, to absorb and produce essential nutrients, and to prevent harmful organisms from settling in.

Some 95% of microbes remain mysterious because they can’t be grown in the lab. Yet researchers are keen to study these organisms and the potentially useful compounds they make. Tiny, semipermeable ...

To achieve this, Mueller transplants bacteria from one plant’s roots to a new generation’s seeds. With a gift of 50 seeds from Thomas Juenger, also a professor of integrative biology at UT, Mueller ...

Biodegradable plastics could help alleviate the plastic waste crisis that is polluting the environment and harming our health ...

Cement manufacturing and repair could be significantly improved by using biocement-producing bacteria, but growing the microbes at construction sites remains a challenge. Now, researchers report a ...

Scientists discovered that nitrous oxide can suppress certain soil microbes, potentially reshaping root microbiomes that help crops grow.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A submersible, which travels to the seafloor to collect rock and microbe samples, is lifted by the arm of a research vessel. James ...

Microbial ecosystems—for example, in seawater, the soil or in the human gut—are astonishingly diverse, but researchers often struggle to reproduce this diversity in the lab: Many microorganisms die ...

Most people see their kitchen as a clean space for preparing meals. Yet, some common kitchen items and areas can harbor more bacteria than a toilet seat. Studies have shown that the average kitchen ...