All Biofilms articles
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NewsBiofilm clue opens route to anti-infection treatments of the future
A multidisciplinary study has uncovered a critical component in the formation of biofilms, the complex structures used by bacteria to colonise surfaces. The research may have implications for future infection treatments, including for people with cystic fibrosis.
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NewsTire microplastics may accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance in cities
A new perspective article suggests that tire microplastics could create environmental hotspots that help antibiotic resistance genes persist, move between bacteria, and spread through cities.
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NewsFloating colonies: engineering three-dimensional microbial architectures in liquid cultures
Researchers develop an innovative platform for engineering three-dimensional microbial structures while preserving molecular diffusion, microbial motility, and growth.
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NewsFirst-of-its-kind computer model of bacterial biofilms could support antibiotic resistance research
Faster and more effective ways to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa could be on the cards thanks to a first-of-its-kind 3D computer model which shows how the bacterium grows and reshapes its protective layer and spreads to new surfaces.
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NewsPlant-based wound dressing fights infection before it takes hold
A new dressing made from plant-based materials can deliver antibiotics directly to wounds during critical early stages of infection, according to researchers. The study is the first to use this family of sustainable furan-based polymers for infection-fighting wound dressings.
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NewsEject! Bacteria discovered with the ability to jettison cells as a survival mechanism
Biologists have found that communities of bacteria are capable of ‘escape pod’ ejection strategies. They documented the biofilm ejection phenomenon for the first time while studying a bacterium known as hay bacillus (Bacillus subtilis).
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NewsWhat D.C.’s algal bloom reveals about a growing water threat
Environmental engineer Steven Chapra speaks out about cyanobacteria algal blooms in the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, expanding on why harmful algal blooms are a growing concern, and what they may mean for freshwater ecosystems.
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NewsBiologists uncover a molecular mechanism that helps bacteria spread antibiotic resistance genes
A new study reveals the molecular mechanism behind one of the most powerful mechanical actions in all of biology, the reeling in of tiny surface fibers called type IV pili.
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NewsDeep-sea extremophile yields protein that forms super stable biofilm
Scientists have discovered a protein secreted by a deep-sea extremophile — an organism adapted to extreme environmental conditions — that self-assembles into a biofilm and is highly stable, boosting its potential for biomedical applications.
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NewsScientists deploy biofilm-targeting approach to improve crop disease resistance
A new study reports a biofilm-targeting approach for improving crop disease resistance. By replacing the native chloroplast transit peptide (CTP) of MOC1 with a secretory signal peptide (SP), the team redirected the enzyme from chloroplasts to the apoplast.
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NewsCryo-EM helps identify the mechanisms of dental plaque formation
Researchers used cryo-electron microscopy to provide new insights into how Porphyromonas gingivalis causes plaque formation, revealing the 3D structure of Mfa pili, an arm-like filament which enables the bacteria to stick to host tissues and other microbes.
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NewsA 'copper economy' helps fungi and bacteria build better biofilms
Scientists have discovered that two common human pathogens can work together by managing copper in their shared environment - a finding that could open new ways to break down stubborn mixed biofilms.
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NewsRings of power – how bacteria use circadian clocks to colonise their world
A new study reveals how bacteria rely on circadian clocks to control the spread of their multi-cellular colonies.
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NewsBiofilm “scaffolds” protect bacterium responsible for food poisoning from antibiotics
Bacillus cereus, which is responsible for human infections and food poisoning, builds organized communities that act as a ‘shield’ against antibiotics, a new study reveals.
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NewsA soil bacterium turns electricity and carbon dioxide into acetate
A new study shows that a soil bacterium can directly reduce Fe(III) minerals, exchange electrons with electrodes, and use electrode-derived electrons to convert carbon dioxide into acetate under autotrophic conditions.
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NewsResearchers aim to autonomously eliminate plant-killing bacteria from hydroponic farming systems
Three researchers have received a nearly $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a system that can autonomously detect and remove crop-killing microbes from hydroponic farms before they cause damage to plants.
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NewsMovement of “forever chemicals” through the Great Lakes
New analysis of 42 years worth of biological records from the Great Lakes, unveils how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or “forever chemicals” have moved across the region, contaminating a variety of wildlife.
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FeaturesUnder the microscope: extremophiles of the Earth
Extremophiles are microbial organisms that live in extreme environments normally considered uninhabitable. Over the past few decades, extremophiles have been discovered in increasingly bizarre and unexpected environments around the globe, including within acid lakes, plastic recycling centres and even in radioactive sites such as Chernobyl.
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NewsAlluring yeast species could yield new mosquito traps to combat malaria
An orange-colored yeast species isolated from a Baltimore sidewalk several years ago could be the basis of eco-friendly mosquito traps that reduce malaria transmission, according to a new study.
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NewsBacteria organise themselves into diverse, coordinated communities in order to travel across large distances
A new study examined the migration of microbial communities over long distances, and found bacteria migrate not as solitary swimmers, but in diverse, coordinated communities that also contain viruses and “hitchhiking” microbes that cannot swim on their own.