To adapt to changing environmental pressures, bacteria have developed various methods that allow them to uptake exogenous DNA and incorporate it into their own genomes. One of these processes is ...

The Nature Index 2026 Research Leaders reveal the leading institutions and countries/territories in the natural sciences, health sciences, applied sciences and social sciences, according to their ...

Gut bacteria exchange drug-resistant DNA and form infectious biofilms more easily than expected. The discovery shows why it can be so difficult to tackle drug-resistant bacteria, but does provide a ...

Extracellular appendages on gut bacteria accelerate the transfer of antibiotic-resistance genes. “The death toll from antimicrobial resistance is expected to match cancer by 2050, meaning we urgently ...

Bacteria have evolved a diverse toolkit for horizontal gene transfer, among which integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) and conjugative plasmids are preeminent. These mobile genetic elements can ...