Colibactin is a powerful toxin produced by Escherichia coli and other bacteria living in the human gut. This highly unstable ...

A closeup look at colibactin’s structure reveals chemical motifs that guide its mutation-wreaking “warheads” to specific stretches of DNA.

Bacteria possess unique traits with great potential for benefiting society. However, current genetic engineering methods to harness these advantages are limited to a small fraction of bacterial ...

The Nature Index 2024 Research Leaders — previously known as Annual Tables — reveal the leading institutions and countries/territories in the natural and health sciences, according to their output in ...

Synthetic biology is poised to tackle a range of challenges, from cleaning up pollutants with designer bacteria to the creation of bespoke gene therapies. But the transition from the laboratory to ...

Canadian poet Christian Bök and University of Texas chemical engineer Lydia Contreras have embedded a poem into the DNA of one of Earth’s toughest organisms. This microbe could preserve art for ...