One species of bacteria seems to get many of the perks of sexual reproduction without actually having sex, a new study finds. Different strains of bacteria called Mycobacterium smegmatis swap large, ...

Sexual reproduction is costly to organisms that depend on it, like humans. In contrast, bacteria reproduce by asexual reproduction, which is more efficient but doesn't allow genomic mixing, making ...

In a groundbreaking study, researcher Kostas Konstantinidis has reshaped our understanding of microbial life, challenging the long-standing belief that bacteria do not form distinct species. For years ...

Endosymbiotic relationships—in which one organism lives within another—are striking examples of mutualism, and can often significantly shape the biology of the participant species. In new findings ...

Some disease-causing bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics because they have peculiar sex lives, say researchers publishing new results in the journal Science. The new study helps scientists ...

Understanding the differences between bacteria and viruses is crucial for recognizing how these microorganisms impact our ...