Starving bacteria (cyan) use a microscopic harpoon—called the Type VI secretion system—to stab and kill neighboring cells (magenta). The prey burst, turning spherical and leaking nutrients, which the ...

Study reveals that Pseudomonas bacteria’s ability to resist toxic attacks from bacterial competitors leaves them more sensitive to antibiotics. Some bacteria use a kind of molecular ‘speargun’ to ...

Even tiny organisms can be brutal – not only eliminating potential competitors for resources but also using their neighbours as a source of nutrition. This is the conclusion reached by an ...

Bacterial interaction with plants and animals, symbiotic or pathogenic, involves the transfer to host cells and tissues of a range of bacterial proteins whose biochemical activities are key to ...