A study on wild northern cardinals shows that stress can change gut microbes and affect bird health in measurable ways.

Every animal carries a microscopic community of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that play a critical role in health. These gut microbes help regulate the immune system, support digestion, and even ...

Scientists studying stranded pygmy sperm whales have uncovered three previously unknown genotypes of Helicobacter bacteria ...

Marine animals, such as the extremely simple flatworm Trichoplax, are ideal model organisms for studying the early evolutionary origins of animal life processes. Despite measuring only a few ...

One of the most persistent scientific mysteries over the past century has been exactly how some organisms seemingly have the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field. Despite several hypotheses, ...

Bacteria are everywhere, even inside of our bodies, and they are thought to date back to the early days of life on Earth. These single-celled organisms are classified differently than animals' ...

Recent research from Norway has found that resistance to antibiotics is on the increase in intestinal bacteria in animals as a direct result of antibiotic treatments. The antibiotics also alter the ...

Some insects and roundworms pick up DNA from bacteria living within their cells, new research shows. The DNA transfer occurs in the animals’ egg cells, so the genetic modification passes between ...

The oldest-known animal eggs and embryos, whose first pictures made the cover of Nature in 1998, were so small they looked like bugs -- which, it now appears, they may have been. This week, a study in ...

Gut bacteria are tiny but may play an outsized role not only in the host animal's digestive health, but in their overall well-being. According to a new study in Nature, specific gut bacteria in the ...