Elephant carcasses leave a lasting legacy on the savanna, reshaping microbial communities and plant life.
bacteria & microbes
Posted inAGU News
There Are No Small Parts, Only Small Organisms
Microbes are the (mostly) unseen influencers of Earth science, but researchers are learning more about these wee beasties and better appreciating their growing contribution to the world we live in.
Posted inFeatures
Building the Cities of Tomorrow with Living Materials
Construction materials incorporating bacteria, fungi, or other living organisms could self-heal, clean the air, and create more climate-resilient cities.
Posted inNews
The Secrets of Acid Salt Lakes
These stunning bodies of water—saltier than seawater and nearly as acidic as lemon juice—can teach us more about where life can survive, on Earth and beyond.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Biosignatures Extend Robustly into the Top Kilometer of Sedimentary Basins
Through the top kilometer of sedimentary basins, biosignatures track microbial cells, permeability, and water inputs. Below that, permeability limits microbial presence despite temperatures conducive to life.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Measuring Deep-Ocean Oxygen with Microscopic Magnetic Fossils
A global comparison of microbial magnetic minerals unlocks a new tool for glimpsing the future of oxygen in Earth’s changing oceans.
Posted inOpinions
Life in the Skies Links Ecosystems Near and Far. It Deserves More Attention.
Our understanding of Earth’s biology and its responses to environmental change is limited by an incomplete picture of the planet’s dynamic aerobiome.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Briny “Death Pools” Hold Clues to Early Life
New evidence from the depths of the Red Sea supports the oxidation of manganese and iron as an engine for life in the earliest oceans.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Tiny Cyanobacteria May Be the Secret Heroes of Ocean Carbon Sequestration
Even when larger phytoplankton produce more carbon, much of it is lost on the journey to the ocean floor.
Posted inFeatures
Antimicrobial Resistance Is Killing Millions. Climate Change Is Making It Worse.
A growing body of evidence indicates that factors such as rising temperatures and extreme weather are contributing to what some researchers have called “the slow pandemic.”