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10 stories from Planck Standard. Latest: August 10, 2026.
Pentavalent uranium was supposed to be fleeting. German researchers found bacteria producing it in bulk, bound into a compound so stable it gained ground when exposed to oxygen.
Virginia Tech researchers found that the tiniest plastic particles strengthen the bacterial biofilms lining water pipes, shielding potentially harmful microbes from disinfectants.
Scientists report that Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bacterium behind gum disease, can lodge in the aortic valve and drive the calcium buildup that causes a common and deadly heart condition.
Japanese researchers screening microbes from tree frogs, newts and lizards found one strain that erased colorectal tumors entirely — outperforming standard chemotherapy and immunotherapy in the lab.
A Warwick–Monash team decoded how bacterial enzymes snap together to churn out variants of drugs like the approved lymphoma treatment romidepsin — a blueprint for engineering better ones.
Researchers uncover how virus-like particles help bacteria share DNA by triggering host cells to burst open and release genetic couriers.
A new approach blocks only harmful microbes that cause periodontitis while allowing beneficial bacteria to thrive and restore natural balance.
Scientists develop breakthrough treatment that blocks harmful microbes while preserving healthy oral microbiome, potentially revolutionizing periodontal care.
Intelectin-2, a lectin found throughout the gastrointestinal tract, was shown in Nature Communications to bind to bacteria's sugar coat and also crosslink mucin proteins to reinforce the mucus barrier, acting as a dual-purpose defender that could inspire new treatments for inflammatory bowel disease.
A team at Shandong University modified the probiotic bacterium E. coli Nissle 1917 to seek out breast cancer tumors in mice, colonize them, and produce the FDA-approved drug Romidepsin directly at the tumor site — opening a potential new path for targeted chemotherapy with fewer systemic side effects.