Volume 23 Issue 10, October 2025

New research by Cho et al. shows that structural variations in a glycolipid present on Gram-negative bacteria can modulate gut inflammatory responses.

This study shows that the prototypical crAssphage Carjivirus communis replicates as a low-copy, linear phage–plasmid that has a broad host range.

This study reports the development of optogenetically engineered microorganisms and optoelectronic capsules that form a bidirectional signal processing system that can be controlled via a wireless smartphone.

This study presents the microbiome inhabiting the wood of living trees.

In this Journal Club, Juliana Almario revisits papers showing nutrient transfers between endophytic insect-parasitic fungi and plants, blurring the lines between mycorrhizal fungi and fungal root endophytes.

In this Journal Club Rafael Laso Pérez revisits a paper that provided evidence of the syntrophic relation between anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria and highlights how scientific collaboration can propel a field forward.

This Genome Watch discusses recent findings in bacterial mutational hotspots, their impact on pathogenesis and antimicrobial resistance, and how we can harness this knowledge to predict pathogen evolution.

In this Review, Auchtung, Hallen-Adams and Hutkins examine the ecological interactions among microorganisms in various fermented foods, how these interactions shape microbial community structure within food ecosystems, and the effects of modern technologies on the microbial and organoleptic properties of fermented foods.

The human intestinal microbiota ferments dietary fibre to short-chain fatty acids, which make an important contribution to host health. In this Review, Mukhopadhya and Louis discuss the luminal microbial production of short-chain fatty acids and their local and systemic actions on the host.

In this Review, van de Veerdonk and colleagues explore Aspergillus fumigatus biology, the host immune responses and the fungal mechanisms of immune evasion, as well as emerging challenges such as virus-associated pulmonary aspergillosis and azole resistance, and reflect on future directions for therapeutics and patient care improvement.

Sixty years after the discovery of the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), Münz discusses new developments in the immunobiology of the first discovered human tumour virus, including vaccines and the role of EBV in the initiation of autoimmune diseases, especially multiple sclerosis.