Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are way older than penicillin
Remember the classic chases where Wile E. Coyote tries to catch Roadrunner but is often outsmarted? It turns out that bacteria have to…
Category: New Mexico Tech
Undergraduates at New Mexico Tech summarize the latest research in cave studies and geomicrobiology!
The ancient Mayan practice of dental modification
Today, dentists attach orthodontic devices to people’s teeth, like braces and crowns, for health reasons. During the early Preclassic…
Could there be ice in caves on Mars?
Based on visual and theoretical evidence, astronomers think that Mars has ice in caves that were carved out by volcanic activity. Spacecraft…
Ancient bacteria leave behind fossils, too!
Scientists used genetic technology to identify the different roles of bacteria present in ancient fossil formations called stromatolites.
Invasive trees are changing the soil in the American Southwest
Ecosystems with diverse species and healthy habitats provide services that keep the system stable and are beneficial to humans. Humans…
Bacteria that live on plant roots are important for farming
Scientists used DNA sequencing to identify what microbes live on or near the root systems of farmed and wild wheat. They found that farmed…
Salt pools can guide our search for life on other planets
Pink, green, and square-shaped microbes can help us understand the limits of life on Earth and guide our search for life outside the planet.
Bacteria found with superpowers that let them survive in space
Scientists who study how humans might travel through space found a handful of specific genes that give bacteria some cool superpowers.
14,400-year-old viruses preserved in ice
A group of scientists discovered 14,400-year-old ancient microbes preserved in a Tibetan ice cap that could help us understand how past…
Microbes that eat iron cause bedrock erosion
Are microscopic mineral-eating microbes breaking down our mountains? They may be behind bedrock erosion.