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Despite regular claims to the contrary, our peer review systems are not fundamentally broken, but they do suffer from stresses and strains that require journals to undertake ongoing maintenance, by trialling and adopting new practices while ensuring continued rigor.
Increasing research on microbial communities has resulted in massive amounts of data being generated and shared, yet data accessibility, accuracy and thoroughness remain problematic and can be a substantial obstacle for scientists looking to explore existing datasets.
The 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Richard Henderson and Joachim Frank for the development of cryo-electron microscopy, a technique for high-resolution structural determination of biomolecules in solution that has provided unprecedented insight into the biology of microorganisms.
An increased focus on identifying disease hotspots and pre-emptive intervention will be key to halting outbreaks before they become established, but political and economic obstacles cannot be ignored if ambitious new targets to reduce global cholera mortality tenfold are to be achieved.
Translating scientific discoveries into real world solutions is a goal shared by researchers, governments, industry and the public alike. While continued support for basic research is critical, improvements in the funding, evaluation and publication of translational work are also needed to fully realize the promise of applied research.
The recommendation that antibiotic courses are always completed should be dropped according to a recent analysis. While a welcome addition to discussion on the role of stewardship in tackling resistance, caution should be applied before advice on prescription practices and communication with patients is altered.
Fungal pathogens are virtually ignored by the press, the public and funding bodies, despite posing a significant threat to public health, food biosecurity and biodiversity.
In many countries, the success of misinformation, alternative facts or fake news is promoting a climate of science denial, where false claims such as vaccination causing autism can spread. Learning lessons from behavioural studies can help advocate for vaccination in the face of vaccine refusers and deniers.
The WHO's plans to bolster global vector control measures blend audacious goals with a sensible approach that could save lives and stimulate economic growth and development in many of the world's poorest nations.
We asked microbiologist and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins about her time on the International Space Station, the challenges of working with bugs in space, and what's next for science that is out of this world.
From roles in the health, nutrition and performance of humans during spaceflight, through to the question of life on other worlds, microbiology has fundamental contributions to make to our exploration of the cosmos.
If we are to be successful in keeping priority pathogens at bay in the long term, global responses to antimicrobial resistance should embrace and fund innovative therapeutic strategies that are developed in the basic microbiology laboratory.
We spoke with Gary Nabel about research funding, making the move from academia to industry, transformative innovation to improve global health, and the current state of the infectious disease drug pipeline.
