Cheeses host a multitude of microorganisms that turn milk into curds. Selected by humans, these ferments are not exempt from food industry regulations – to the point that blue cheeses and Camembert...
An international research group has shown that today’s human activities are radically reshaping the way microbes circulate, with potential repercussions on the world’s ecosystems and inhabitants.
Last year, a group of scientists travelled to the hydrothermal site of Dallol in northern Ethiopia. In this extreme environment and against all odds, they discovered traces of life.
Revealed by metagenomics, previously unknown biodiversity brings our biological understanding into question. “Biological dark matter” may provide clues to a fourth domain of life.