Any organism that lives, grows and reproduces must also age. People often think of aging in the physical sense—gray hair, slowed movements and wrinkles—but aging fundamentally occurs on a molecular level, inside of cells. While they may not ‘look’ their age, bacteria feel the passage of time too.

Switzerland is a world-leader in recycling electronic waste, but in the wake of the climate crisis, reducing consumption is more important than ever. Repairing electronic devices at dedicated ‘repair cafés’ to extend their lifespan can be a great place to start.

Discovery of the first nitrogen-fixing organelle (nitroplast), the existence of which researchers have long hypothesized but never been able to pin down, highlights the exciting possibilities of ancient endosymbioses and is sparking research to identify and/or engineer possible applications, with a particular focus on plant and crop growth.

As a part of their Net Zero 2030 strategy, ETH Zürich is encouraging laboratories to adopt sustainable practices.

Scientists from across Europe are working together to find interesting microbes in sourdough starters. Vilhelmiina Haavisto explains for the #FEMSmicroBlog the successes and challenges of such an intensely collaborative project.

Though prokaryotes had a billion-year evolutionary ‘head-start’ only eukaryotes have evolved large, complex multicellularity—why is this the case?

Could microbial life be lurking under the ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa? Studying icy environments on Earth can help us find out.

Although they are usually thought of as agents of disease, bacteria can also be important for wound healing.

Transfer of DNA between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is more common than originally believed, and has contributed to shaping the evolution of eukaryotic organisms.

Microbes are central to life on Earth, but their biodiversity is threatened by anthropogenic activities. Can international efforts in conservation and restoration curb this incalculable loss?

The gut microbiota is important for host health, in humans as well as other animals including honeybees. Some of the threats bees face have microbial origins—but also microbial solutions.

Though the harnessing of antibiotics is one of the most significant human innovations, their efficacy is continuously eroded by the craftiness of their microbial targets.

As long as humans have been around, there have been pathogens to make us sick. Now, advances in DNA sequencing are allowing scientists to peer into the past of prolific human pathogens.

After more than 2 years of constant viral pandemic news coverage, it is easy to forget that we did not even know that microorganisms, invisible to the naked eye, existed before the mid-17th century.

Bacteria living in and on animals have many important and beneficial functions, such as shielding their host from infection through ‘colonization resistance’.

Many microbes are harmless to us, even beneficial, but our imaginations are most stimulated by pathogens—those capable of causing disease.

In recent years, the capybara has been launched into internet stardom as the world’s largest and chillest rodent. Yet, what’s most interesting about the capybara may be what is going on under the hood.

While not all cyanobacteria are harmful, those that form cyanobacterial HABs can cause serious problems. However, these cyanobacteria do not act alone – they have special sidekicks that help them survive and thrive.

Protecting Earth’s natural habitats should be among our top priorities for the future, but we are failing to meet key targets. What, then, is needed to juice up our conservation efforts?

Whether you call it the WC, the can, or, like the French in the 19th century, the lieux à l’anglaise (“the English place”), paying visits to the toilet is a fact of life. However, what happens after we flush is hardly at the front of most people’s minds.

An­ti­bio­tics have re­vo­lu­tion­ized me­di­cine and saved count­less lives. How­ever, the way we use these life-sav­ing me­di­cat­ions is fun­da­men­tal­ly un­sus­tain­able, as pa­tho­gens ra­pid­ly evolve re­sist­ance, ren­der­ing ma­ny se­ri­ous in­fect­ions ef­fect­ive­ly un­treat­able.

When you think of pollination, you probably think of bees and butterflies flocking to colorful and delightfully scented flowers, transporting pollen in exchange for a sugary nectar reward. However, there is more to this picture than meets the eye...

Microscopic life in our oceans plays a vital role in taking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—but can we rely on them to curb our emissions?

Buying books can get pricey, but students need not worry as there are plenty of second-hand shops with cheaper alternatives.

It has been a fruitful past few months for Rosa Biotech – the bio-sensing company won both a prestigious prize and substantial investment money for continuing their projects.

The University has joined a scheme supported by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.

Epigram interviews students campaigning for the University to switch the campus-wide default search engine to a greener alternative.

Though we’ve come far in conversations surrounding women in STEM, marginalized groups of women and non-binary people tend to get little to no representation in these fields, and in related discussions about inclusivity and equality.