Bacteria

Trump, Putin to discuss suspected plague case as US officials press Russia for answers

"Maybe there's nothing there, maybe it's bigger than we thought, we don't know," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, warning that the US was operating with limited information.

US President Donald Trump speaks with media before boarding Marine One as he travels to Grand Island, Nebraska, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, US, October 5, 2026.
 A bubonic plague smear, prepared from a lymph removed from an adenopathic lymph node, or bubo, of a plague patient, demonstrates the presence of the Yersinia pestis bacteria that causes the plague in this undated photo.

Employee of Russian plague institute dies of suspected pneumonic infection, Trump offers help

 A view of Earth, partially hidden by the Moon, photographed through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:40 p.m. EDT (22:40 GMT) April 6, 2026

NASA finds some microbes could survive on moon, raising concerns over unintended life transfer

Bacteriophage (illustrative)

Scientists use AI to create viruses not found in nature, simultaneously raising alarms, enthusiasm


Bacterium outbreak kills one prenatal baby, infects three at Haifa's Rambam Health Care Campus

The hospital stated that the condition of the three infected babies was stable, while also confirming that the infection had been contained in the NICU with no further cases reported.

Enterobacter bacterium becomes fatal in premature babies.

From 1.1M years ago to Wrangel’s last mammoths: microbes that endured through time

Research from steppe mammoths to the last woolly mammoths shows microbial lineages coexisted across hundreds of thousands of years and wide regions until their extinction 4,000 years ago.

Mammoth foot found in Siberia, Russia.

DNA confirms Yersinia pestis as cause of the first recorded pandemic 1,500 years ago

Using ancient DNA from eight teeth under Jerash's Roman hippodrome, scientists date the outbreak to mid-6th–early 7th century, finding nearly identical strains from a fast, deadly wave.

A researcher holds a Jerash tooth used to help identify the origin of the first plague.

What is the bacteria that could lurk in salads you make that could shut down your body?

Unwashed greens and cross-contamination can turn a simple bowl into a breeding ground for bacteria that can cause blindness, meningitis, or even death.

Vegetable salad.

Experts recommend bidets over toilet paper, study shows ten times fewer bacteria

Specialist Rose George warns that wiping only with toilet paper can leave fecal residue.

 Experts recommend bidets over toilet paper, study shows ten times fewer bacteria.

Scientists convert plastic waste into paracetamol using engineered E. coli

Professor Stephen Wallace: 'It is the first time a bacterium has converted a plastic bottle into paracetamol.'

 Scientists convert plastic waste into paracetamol using engineered E. coli.

Study: Kissing may spread depression and anxiety via bacteria between spouses

Researchers detected significant increases in symptoms of depression and anxiety in originally healthy spouses.

 Study: Kissing may spread depression and anxiety via bacteria between spouses. Illustration.

Study: Healthcare uniforms washed at home may spread superbugs

Healthcare workers washing uniforms at home may contribute to spread of hospital-acquired infections.

 Study: Healthcare uniforms washed at home may spread superbugs.

New research reveals hidden ‘control center’ which could help in fight against bacterial infections

This finding opens the door to broader research into how many different pathogens regulate their harmful activities.

 The spherical black objects are pathogenic bacteria, and the green dot within them represents a control hub containing multiple RNA molecules originated from virulence genes and a high concentration of CsrA that “decides” whether or not to express these genes.

Experts warn: Replace your kitchen sponge weekly to avoid hidden germs

Researchers found 362 bacterial species in sponges, including potential pathogens.

 Experts warn: Replace your kitchen sponge weekly to avoid hidden germs. Illustration.