Cellular & Microscopic Biology

Your phone might look clean, but in reality, it's harboring germs, viruses and bacteria. So stop doomscrolling in the bathroom.

By Primrose Freestone

It's kind of amazing that no two fingerprints are alike, not even for identical twins! But why is that?

By Alia Hoyt

Did viruses show up on Earth before or after living cells? A microbiologist uses the fossil record to explain.

By Kenneth Noll

The Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus makes a mockery of ant free will. But how does it take over the ant body to control its host?

By Jesslyn Shields

New studies suggests your gait may be able to predict something deeper than just a temporary mood.

By Jesslyn Shields

Both can make you feel lousy, but there are a few important differences between the causes of bacterial and viral infections – knowing the details can help improve your health.

By Debbie Swanson

Spend your life on your smartphone and you may be sending yourself to the sick bed. Here's a list of some of the nasty germs that could be lurking on your mobile device.

By Chris Opfer

Worried that we're running out of effective antibiotics? Never fear. Scientists are plundering cockroach brains and other surprising sources to create new lifesaving medications.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Lots of Americans believe that getting the flu is no worse than getting a cold. Or that the flu vaccine can give them flu. We separate truth from fiction.

By Patrick J. Kiger

When you've been in bed for two days clutching a bottle of cough medicine and a box of tissues, you know it's germs behind your misery. How do they do it?

By Molly Edmonds

The results of three recent studies show that an uncircumcised man is twice as likely to contract AIDS from an infected woman as is a circumcised one.

By Julia Layton

Your body temperature has an important role to play in fighting off infections from viruses like the flu. Here's how it works.

Do the sewers hold the answers to the next COVID-19 surge? And what else can testing samples of untreated wastewater tell us about the health of our communities?

By Jennifer Walker-Journey

Researchers are working on ways to engineer viruses to attack cancer cells, killing the disease without radiation, medicine or surgery. How do the viruses know what to kill?

By Josh Clark

How can spam e-mail help fight HIV? Find out how spam e-mail and HIV are linked and learn about new methods for HIV treatment.

By Josh Clark

The journal "Nature" recently published a paper describing how a cell transplant had allowed blind mice to see again. What does this mean for humans?

By Tracy V. Wilson

Phone calls, e-mails, sign language, friendly shouts -- this is how we communicate in our daily lives. Bacteria, some of the tiniest organisms on Earth, have a different way of talking.

By Molly Edmonds

For something too small to be detected by an ordinary microscope, viruses pack a big punch. We all know they can wreak havoc on the body, but how do they do it?

By Molly Edmonds

Cell suicide sounds unpleasant, but this programmed cell death is the reason your fingers and toes are no longer webbed. What's the story behind apoptosis, and what does it have to do with curing disease?

By Molly Edmonds

You've heard it on the lips of every newscaster and seen it in the pages of every newspaper and Web site: swine flu. Just how worried should we be about the 2009 version of the H1N1 virus?

By Molly Edmonds

Why have some bacteria become resistant to antibiotics? Learn about the role of antibiotics in drug-resistant bacteria strains.

Learn about weight gain and the processes going on in your cells.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

Influenza, Ebola and COVID-19 are all viruses. Find out what a virus does to your body and how to decrease your chance of exposure.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. & Patrick J. Kiger

Herd immunity means that after a certain percentage of a population is immune to a disease, the whole population is. This is usually achieved through vaccination but some are not convinced.

By Alia Hoyt & Molly Edmonds

Stem cells are a controversial topic because they are grown from human embryos. Learn about the controversy and get the facts here.