How much carbon can the ocean absorb, and what happens to it as the planet warms? Sonya Dyhrman, a microbial oceanographer and professor at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, is trying to answer these ...

In the oceans and on land, scientists are discovering rare, transitional organisms that bridge the gap between Earth’s simplest cells and today’s complex ones.

Soil microbes remain highly active beneath winter snow, driving complex nitrogen recycling that fuels spring plant growth.

Microbes move across the planet, linking ecosystems and spreading genes that shape antibiotic resistance, health, and biodiversity.

Robyn Barbato, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, drills into subsurface permafrost at the Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility in Fox, Alaska.

Beneath our feet, beyond the reach of sunlight, and buried in the most unforgiving corners of the planet, an unseen world thrives. Though these environments may seem desolate, and devoid of warmth, ...

"Barking" up the right tree! Here's how an Australian team found that microbes found in tree bark may have a bigger influence on fighting climate change than we thought. 🌳🦠 ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. These bacteria don’t eat food or breathe air like we do.