To communicate, cats let odors do the talking

To communicate, domestic cats send signals to each other using odors derived from families of bacteria living in their anal glands.

Andy Fell-UC Davis • futurity
Nov. 17, 2023 ~4 min

How pit latrine microbes could cut greenhouse gas

An investigation into pit latrine microbes could offer ways to improve public health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, say researchers.

Matt Shipman-NC State • futurity
Nov. 2, 2023 ~7 min


Can agriculture actually block pathogens from animals?

Agriculture can produce pathogens from animals, but it can form barriers that help block their spread, an article argues.

Jim Erickson-Michigan • futurity
Sept. 20, 2023 ~7 min

Why young squash bugs must eat poop

Squash bugs carry a gut bacterium that's key to their development into adults, but don't have it as nymphs. New findings reveal how they get it.

Carol Clark-Emory • futurity
Aug. 25, 2023 ~10 min

To deal with drought stress, soil releases more volatile compounds

During drought, soils release more volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere, researchers report.

Rose Brandt-Arizona • futurity
Aug. 7, 2023 ~5 min

Microbes engineer rock-to-life cycle

"Think of it as Earth's skin," says Jon Chorover of the critical zone. "It's sometimes termed the zone where rock meets life."

Rose Brandt-Arizona • futurity
Feb. 3, 2023 ~7 min

Did climate change kill life on early Mars?

Researchers simulated the conditions hypothetical lifeforms would have encountered on Mars 4 billion years ago.

Daniel Stolte-Arizona • futurity
Oct. 24, 2022 ~10 min

Microbes can form ‘superorganisms’ that take over teeth

Bacteria and fungi can join forces to form "superorganisms" that sprout "limbs" to walk and leap across teeth, researchers have discovered.

Katherine Unger Baillie-Penn • futurity
Oct. 6, 2022 ~9 min


Any fiber is good fiber, just get more of it

How do you know which dietary fiber supplement is best for you? It doesn't really matter, experts say. Just get more of it.

Karl Bates-Duke • futurity
Aug. 1, 2022 ~7 min

‘Surprising’ microbes shed light on how life could survive on Mars

Newly discovered microbes may give scientists a blueprint for the kinds of potential life forms that could exist on Mars.

Katherine Gombay-McGill • futurity
July 12, 2022 ~6 min

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