Single-celled archaea microbes pack their DNA into flexible coils that expand and stretch much like a Slinky does. This kind of molecular gymnastics had never been seen before in other organisms and ...

Sperm and egg cells, or gametes, are unusual. Egg cells are some of the largest cell types, and sperm are some of the smallest. In humans, these haploid cells come together to form diploid cells. It's ...

Archaea, once thought to only survive in extreme environments, are now recognized as vital players in ecosystems from soil to sea. They drive key nutrient cycles, help plants grow, and even produce ...

Archaea are a relatively recently discovered group of microorganisms that occupy their own branch on the tree of life. Though similar in some ways to bacteria, they are not the same. Researchers have ...

Scientists are uncovering the surprising ways bacteria and archaea differ — and how these differences could be turned into weapons against dangerous infections. From bacteria’s peptidoglycan walls to ...

Scientists have identified over 600,000 microbial proteins that can break down plastics, revealing a nearly universal ability ...

Archaea are prevalent in a range of environments, from some of the most hostile like volcanoes and permafrost. However, archaea are also common in the human microbiome and as an important part of soil ...