A protein determines the shape of bacteria. Bacteria come in a wide variety of shapes, which are important for their fitness in their respective ecological niches. However, despite intensive research, ...

Bacteria have an extraordinary ability to maintain and recover their morphology even after being twisted out of shape. Researchers know that shape is determined by the cell wall, yet little is known ...

Research by scientists into why some bacteria have different shapes has found that a curved shape can make it easier to find food. The findings pose questions around whether disease-causing bacteria ...

Top: Magnified view of the microfabricated bacteria molds in various shapes. Bottom: Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy images reveal the molded shapes of bacterial Z-rings (montage, ...

Bacteria are evolving to elude our drugs at an alarming rate, so much so that the UN has declared antibiotic resistance a global health emergency with the expectation that it could kill millions upon ...

Fat bacteria? Skinny bacteria? From our perspective on high, they all seem to be about the same size. In fact, they are. Precisely why has been an open question, according to Rice University chemist ...

The bacteria that cause the life-threatening disease cholera may initiate infection by coordinating a wave of mass shapeshifting that allows them to more effectively penetrate the intestines of their ...

Bacteria come in all shapes and sizes -- some are straight as a rod, others twist like a corkscrew. Shape plays an important role in how bacteria infiltrate and attack cells in the body. The helical ...

What do watermelons and bacteria have in common? Just like the tasty fruit, microbes can be molded into unusual shapes, a study in Nature Communications has shown. The paper, produced by researchers ...