Online image search results depict climate change differently across the world. Countries with high (versus low) levels of climate concern encounter more emotional images, creating a difference that can change how people think and feel about climate change.

Free viruses are the most abundant type of biological particles in the biosphere, but the lack of quantitative knowledge about their consumption by heterotrophic protists and bacterial degradation has hindered the inclusion of virovory in biogeochemical models. Using isotope-labeled viruses added to three independent microcosm experiments with natural microbial communities followed by isotope measurements

Host-gut microbiota interactions are more complex than good or bad. Both gut symbiotic bacteria and pathobionts can provide essential functions to their host in one scenario and yet be detrimental to host health in another. So, these gut-dwelling bacteria must be tightly controlled to avoid harmful effects on the host. However, how pathobionts and other symbiotic bacteria coordinate to establish a

Urea is hypothesized to be an important source of nitrogen and chemical energy to microorganisms in the deep sea; however, direct evidence for urea use below the epipelagic ocean is lacking. Here, we explore urea utilization from 50 to 4000 meters depth in the northeastern Pacific Ocean using metagenomics, nitrification rates, and single-cell stable-isotope-uptake measurements with nanoscale secondary

Correction to: Nature Ecology & Evolution https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02526-1, published online 9 September 2024.

SAR86 is one of the most abundant groups of bacteria in the global surface ocean. However, since its discovery over 30 years ago, it has remained recalcitrant to isolation and many details regarding this group are still unknown. Here we report the cellular characteristics from the first SAR86 isolate brought into culture, Magnimaribacter mokuoloeensis strain HIMB1674, and use its closed genome in concert

Linear waste management systems are unsustainable and contribute to environmental degradation, economic inequity, and health disparities. Among the array of environmental challenges stemming from anthropogenic impacts, the management of human excrement (human feces and urine) stands as a significant concern. Over two billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation, signifying a global public

Our comprehension of membrane function has predominantly advanced through research on glycerophospholipids, also known as phosphoglycerides, which are glycerol phosphate-based lipids found across all three domains of life. However, in bacteria, a perplexing group of lipids distinct from glycerol phosphate-based ones also exists. These are amino acid-containing lipids that form an amide bond between

Ocean alkalinity enhancement is a commonly touted method for marine carbon dioxide removal but many questions remain, including its capacity for large-scale carbon removal. Computer models have now been used to map the timescales and efficiency of carbon removal at global scale, revealing important regional differences.

Armed conflicts inflict a massive toll on people and nature, but hope exists in the recognition that lasting peace can be closely tied to ecosystem restoration

A dinosaur with a disputed name opened Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan’s eyes to the world of palaeobiology.

Woody plants have expanded into many grasslands, in part due to anthropogenic suppression of natural fires. Restoring fire to grasslands is a shift in conservation strategy aimed to improve the health of these ecosystems, which depend on fire. However, fire exclusion changes ecosystem characteristics, and particularly in areas that have experienced extensive tree expansion, reintroducing fire can have

Climate-induced disasters can often capture the attention of both the public and the media, which make them effective channels for government accountability as governments could then be pressured into taking action. A dramatic surge of public attention on certain events could largely shape the emergent response of regulatory agencies. Yet the existence and duration of such an effect is still unknown

Mark Kirk, from Murray State University and Allegheny College in the USA, and colleagues, used a 32 year mark–recapture dataset investigating 717 Arizona tiger salamanders (Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum), in the context of climate and population density. While longer growing seasons directly favoured terrestrial metamorphic outcomes, climate impacts including long overwintering cold spells and light

To understand the effect of chlorophyll solar absorption on coastal upwelling regions, Siyu Meng and colleagues use a coupled ocean–biogeochemistry model and find that chlorophyll absorption causes colder, stronger upwelling in the Pacific Ocean, but warmer, weaker upwelling in the Atlantic Ocean. The authors attribute this to phytoplankton spatial differences, with the Pacific Ocean having more surface

Aspirations for a just society can motivate individuals to engage in climate action; however, public awareness of climate justice remains low, and the extent of injustice within the climate crisis is often underestimated.

As attribution studies evolve in complexity and become more present in public discourse, care is needed to ensure that the associated uncertainties and relevant contexts remain clear.

A palaeontologist of varied interests who realized biomineralized fauna were key to understanding early animal evolution

The human gut microbiota, the vast community of microbes inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract, plays a pivotal role in maintaining health. Bacteria are the most abundant organism, and the composition of bacterial communities is strongly influenced by diet. Gut bacteria can degrade complex dietary carbohydrates to produce bioactive compounds such as short-chain fatty acids. Such products influence

Prokaryotic cells employ multiple protective layers crucial for defense, structural integrity, and cellular interactions in the environment. Archaea often feature an S-layer, with some species possessing additional and remarkably resistant sheaths. The archaeal sheath has been studied in Methanothrix and Methanospirillum, revealing a complex structure consisting of amyloid proteins organized into rings

Recent successes in the cultivation of DPANN archaea with their hosts have demonstrated an episymbiotic lifestyle, whereas the lifestyle of DPANN archaea in natural habitats is largely unknown. A free-living lifestyle is speculated in oxygen-deprived fluids circulated through rock media, where apparent hosts of DPANN archaea are lacking. Alternatively, DPANN archaea may be detached from their hosts

Microbial communities regularly experience ecological invasions that can lead to changes in composition and function. Factors thought to impact susceptibility to invasions, such as diversity and resource use, vary over the course of community assembly. We used synthetic bacterial communities to evaluate the success and impact of invasions occurring at different times during the community assembly process

An in-depth examination of the factors driving rising greenhouse gas emissions in the production of wheat, maize and rice uncovers trends that conflict with the objective of reducing emissions while simultaneously boosting production.

Correction to: Nature Ecology & Evolution https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02554-x, published online 29 October 2024.

Microbes drive fundamental ecosystem processes such as decomposition. Environmental stressors are known to affect microbes, their fitness, and the ecosystem functions that they perform, yet understanding the causal mechanisms behind this influence has been difficult. We used leaf litter on soil surface as a model in situ system to assess changes in bacterial genomic traits and decomposition rates over

Root exudates are important mediators of plant–microbiome interactions. Recent pioneering studies on various aerial root plants, including cereals, have shown that carbohydrate-rich mucilage can enrich diazotrophs and increase host nitrogen utilization and growth. Moreover, non-diazotrophic "gatekeeper" microorganisms in mucilage help defend against pathogenic and environmental microbes. These findings

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Metabolic exchanges between strains in gut microbial communities shape their composition and interactions with the host. This study investigates the metabolic synergy between potential probiotic bacteria and Saccharomyces boulardii, aiming to enhance anti-inflammatory effects within a multi-species probiotic community. By screening a collection of 85 potential probiotic bacterial strains, we identified

Microbial rhodopsins are prevalent in many cyanobacterial groups as a light-energy-harvesting system in addition to the photosynthetic system. It has been suggested that this dual system allows efficient capture of sunlight energy using complementary ranges of absorption wavelengths. However, the diversity of cyanobacterial rhodopsins, particularly in accumulated metagenomic data, remains underexplored

Correction to: Nature Climate Change https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02149-1, published online 21 October 2024.

Before the 12th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF12), Nature Climate Change spoke to experts across the world to discuss how cities can and should cope with the intensifying climate crisis in the coming decades.

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in polluted air influences the composition of the skin microbiome, which in turn is associated with altered skin phenotypes. However, the interactions between PAH exposure and viromes are unclear. This study aims to elucidate how PAH exposure affects the composition and function of skin viruses, their role in shaping the metabolism of bacterial hosts