Collaborating researchers have made a breakthrough discovery regarding the intricate defense systems of bacteriophages (phages)—viruses that can specifically target harmful bacteria without harming ...

Bacteria combat phage infection using antiphage systems and many systems generate nucleotide-derived second messengers upon infection that activate effector proteins to mediate immunity. Phages ...

The viruses that infect bacteria are the most abundant biological entities on the planet. For example, a recent simple study of 92 showerheads and 36 toothbrushes from American bathrooms found more ...

A single protein bolted to the inner membrane of a bacterial cell can shred a virus’s DNA before that genetic material ever reaches the interior. That is the central finding behind SNIPE, a newly ...

What if the Trojan horse had been pulled to pieces, revealing the ruse and fending off the invasion, just as it entered the gates of Troy? That's an apt description of a newly characterized bacterial ...