All symbiosis articles
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NewsCorals show ‘vaccine-like’ responses after pathogen exposure
To boost the resilience of corals in the face of increasing sea temperatures and the spread of disease, researchers have found that controlled, low-level exposure to dead pathogenic cells can help corals resist future infection.
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NewsInternational award supports research into fern-microbe symbiosis
Dr Sophie de Vries will combine evolutionary genomics with experiments that pair ferns and different microbes, to investigate how plants fight off “foes” (diseases) at the same time as supporting their beneficial “friendships” (bacterial partners).
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NewsArchaea as “flexitarians”: Ammonia-oxidizing microbes also feed on amino acids
Symbiotic ammonia-oxidizing archaea in marine sponges are not strict specialists, but true “flexitarians”. Research has shown that these microbes dine not only on ammonia but also on amino acids - and presumably do that to communicate with their animal host.
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NewsHeat-tolerant corals may be more vulnerable to disease, study finds
Corals that partner with heat-tolerant algae may be better equipped to survive warming oceans but that resilience comes with an unexpected trade-off. Such corals keep their stress response system in a heightened state - and that can backfire.
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NewsMicrobes drastically change behavior outside the lab
New research shows that corn root bacteria behave completely differently when grown on a plant rather than in a lab, underscoring the importance of studying microbes in their natural setting, rather than relying solely on laboratory research.
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NewsMapping plant-fungus symbiosis, cell by cell.
Scientists have produced the first high-resolution, cell-by-cell map of how tomato roots respond to colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, a partnership which help plants absorb nutrients from the soil.
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NewsResearchers visualise underground fungal networks in 3D
Researchers have visualized the complex network of plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi in soil in three dimensions for the first time.
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NewsHidden genome variation steers growth in fungus-dependent orchid
A chromosome-level genome and population survey of the fungus-dependent orchid Gastrodia elata has revealed how hidden genetic differences may shape growth, tuber form, and carbohydrate allocation.
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NewsNIH grants $2.8M to develop tools for study of mosquito-microbe interactions
Researchers will use the funding to develop new tools to investigate the genetics underpinning the relationships between mosquitoes and various microbes.
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NewsWarm temperatures disrupt spider sex-changing bacteria in dwarf-spiders across generations
A new study reveals that exposing dwarf spiders to a brief period of warm temperatures can disrupt a phenomenon where internal bacteria normally force genetic males to develop as females.
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NewsGentian receives carbon through mycorrhizal fungi in addition to photosynthesis
Researchers have found that Gentiana squarrosa Ledeb. is partially mycoheterotrophic. The plant not only produces carbon through photosynthesis but also receives carbon through underground fungal networks.
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NewsWith microbial help, sponges use photosynthesis, boosting productivity of tropical coral reefs
In marine environments, sponges tend to eat other organisms to get their nutrients. A new study demonstrates how sponges may also use photosynthesis, with the help of symbiotic microbes, and suggests sponge-rich ecosystems should be added to assessments of carbon sequestration.
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NewsPrize winner’s research reveals microbiota’s hidden role in in mosquito-borne disease
For his work in revealing the hidden role of the microbiota in mosquito-borne disease, Yibin Zhu is the winner of the 2026 Noster NOSTER & Science Microbiome Prize. Microbiota from both the hosts and vectors can either promote or suppress virus transmission, depending on where they act in the transmission cycle.
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NewsCould ‘Trojan horse’ microbes that exploit symbiotic systems be candidates for new biological pesticides?
Researchers have discovered a new insect pathogen that invades the gut symbiotic organ of stink bugs by mimicking their symbiotic microorganism, and this pathogen ultimately kills the host bugs.
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NewsScientists discover how algae colonized corals, jumpstarting the growth of the world’s reefs
A research team questioned why algae are able to thrive inside the cells of coral? The finding could lead to new insights into why algae and coral are failing to thrive symbiotically and suggest ways to reestablish the connection and save the world’s reefs.
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NewsCorals show climate change is reshaping the rules of survival
Which species benefit from climate change, and which are coming under pressure? Using corals as an example, researchers demonstrated that even seemingly successful life strategies can lose their advantage when environmental conditions change.
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NewsSoil pH regulates the symbiosis between stink bugs and gut bacteria
A new study shows soil pH regulates the symbiosis between stink bugs and gut bacteria, revealing alternative strategies to pesticides in agricultural pest control.
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OpinionFungi that inspired The Last of Us may hold the key to a pesticide-free agriculture
They may be the stuff of our nightmares, but Aditya Singh Ranout reveals how invisible allies underneath our feet in the form of entomopathogenic fungi are transforming agriculture - and why these fascinating microbes may hold the key to a pesticide-free agriculture.
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NewsNew study suggests fish gut microbe helps regulate ocean health
New research reveals a potential link between the gut microbes of a fish and global ocean processes, offering new insight into how marine ecosystems help regulate ocean chemistry and the marine carbon cycle.
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NewsBoyce Thompson Institute names Dr. Natalie Hoffmann inaugural Jane Silverthorne Postdoctoral Fellow
How do beneficial fungi grow into and through plant cells without destroying them in the process? That question sits at the center of Dr. Natalie Hoffmann’s research – and it’s what earned her the inaugural Jane Silverthorne Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI).