Reviews & Analysis

Enveloped viruses often produce particles with varying shapes. Elongated particles are shown to be crucial for maintaining infectivity under conditions in which viral glycoprotein activity is compromised.

This Perspective discusses fungal taxonomy and provides guidance for the naming of fungal taxa known only from sequences.

Cyanobacteria, which produce ~25% of global oxygen, also release around 100 times more hydrocarbons into the ocean than all petroleum sources. A cryptic microbial cycle explains why these hydrocarbons do not accumulate in the sea.

An injection system used for host cell invasion by apicomplexan parasites shares a common evolutionary origin with the secretory system used for cellular defence by the free-living ciliates.

Brain calcification in newborns with congenital Zika virus infection are caused by virus-mediated aberrant activation of a physiological pathway.

Pairwise interactions within and between bacteria and fungi are key drivers of the predictable development of the preterm infant gut microbiome.

Bifidobacterium bifidum is enriched in the gut microbiome of patients who respond to cancer treatment, but only selected strains of commercial B. bifidum reduced tumour burden synergistically with therapy in a mouse model.

Mapping the emergence of a highly invasive lineage reveals a crucial step in the evolution of Salmonella strains.

Bacteria use CRISPR–Cas systems as adaptive defence weapons against attacking phages. A new study shows that under severe stress conditions, Serratia turn off their CRISPR immune system to increase the uptake of potentially beneficial plasmids.

Most soil microorganisms can use the trace gases carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane — and potentially other inorganic compounds — to supplement their cellular energetic needs.

Multi-omics and geochemical data reveal that dinoflagellates, abundant marine microorganisms, utilize numerous metabolic strategies to survive in diverse ocean environments.