A June 2026 Nature report revealed that mandatory reviews by top officials, checking for a list of 235 disfavored terms, have left hundreds of meritorious NIH applications in administrative limbo (Koz...

A specific isoform of PBP1b functions independently of the activator protein, LpoB, to drive generation of a wedge-like peptidoglycan structure that strengthens the division site in Escherichia coli.

Mandatory reviews by top health officials and checks for 235 disfavoured terms have left hundreds of vetted grant applications in administrative limbo.

Some units at the US funding giant are so understaffed, they are focusing on mandated grant renewals rather than new awards.

The oldest millennials are turning 45 this year. The oldest Gen Xers are now 60. So how prepared will they be to thrive in the decades ahead? A new tool helps people assess beyond just savings.

Exopolysaccharides are key matrix determinants that provide structural integrity and regulate biomechanical properties of microbial biofilms. Biofilm exopolysaccharides often undergo modifications tha...

Bacterial biofilms dominate microbial life; however, their evolutionary genetics remain incompletely understood. Extensive replication of biofilm selection experiments by secondary school students can...

Here, the authors report metabolic activation as a potential antimicrobial strategy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They show that supra-physiological activation of L-histidine biosynthesis r...

In 1928, a chance contaminant in Scottish physician Alexander Fleming’s lab experiment led to a discovery that would change the field of medicine forever: penicillin. Since then, penicillin and other antibiotics have saved millions of lives. With one problem: the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. Today on Short Wave, host Regina G. Barber talks to biophysicist Nathalie Balaban about the conundrum — and a discovery her lab has made in bacteria that could turn the tides.Check out our episodes on extreme bacteria in Yellowstone and the last universal common ancestor. Interested in more science behind our medicines? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.This episode was produced by Berly McCoy, edited by our showrunner Rebecca Ramirez and fact checked by Tyler Jones. Jimmy Keeley was the audio engineer.

Author summary Many of the pathogenic mechanisms by which Borrelia burgdorferi causes disease involve cell envelope interactions with host components. To further elucidate the role of peptidoglycan in...

As you know, Dear Reader, there are more NIH grants that fund when written in Arial font than any other font. Some crazed font nerds around here assert that Georgia font is the way to go, as it is …

Molecular biology; Microbiology; Cell biology

The structural integrity of bacterial cells is traditionally attributed to the peptidoglycan cell wall, and more recently to the outer membrane, with the cytoplasmic membrane assumed to be mechanicall...

The butterfly is back in the sky; can’t wait to fly twice as high.

Receptors that stimulate inflammation are commonly activated by ligands that are buried within microbial cells. The mechanisms that facilitate immunostimulatory ligand release from microbes during inf...

Uridine boosts aminoglycoside treatment efficiency against antibiotic-susceptible as well as antibiotic-resistant E. coli strains.

The American Society for Microbiology released a joint statement calling for the resignation of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The rapid rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens poses a critical threat to the treatment of infectious diseases. While the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) via plasmid conjugation has bee...

He claimed mRNA vaccines weren't effective against certain infections.

npj Biofilms and Microbiomes - (p)ppGpp imposes graded transcriptional changes to impair motility and promote antibiotic tolerance in biofilms

Urinary tract infections (UTIs), primarily caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), are among the most common antibiotic-resistant infections. Despite this, currently available preclinical UTI...

NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Request for Information on Maximizing Research Funds by Limiting Allowable Publishing Costs NOT-OD-25-138. NIH

Metal ions are required for all cells, and their homeostasis relies on ancient mechanisms that facilitate their import, distribution and storage. In this Review, Helmann discusses the key chemical con...

Read an open letter to the general public from the AMA and medical societies reaffirming support for vaccination to protect against flu, COVID-19, and RSV.

Marine creatures house contraband structures in special organelles, which the animal raids for food in times of need.

YouTube video by Science Communication Lab

Brogan et al. uncover a signalling pathway in which levels of the nucleotide second messenger c-di-AMP increase in response to defects in cell wall synthesis. This regulatory pathway decreases turgor ...