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The hunt for the next CRISPR: how warring microbes are inspiring new technology

Gene editing and many other useful biotechnology tools came from studies of bacteria fighting off viral invaders. But scientists have only begun to unlock the secrets of this ancient arms race.
By
  1. Amber Dance

    1. Amber Dance is a freelance science journalist in the Los Angeles area.

False-coloured scanning electron micrograph showing a swarm of insect-like bacteriophages surrounding larger spherical streptococcus bacteria

A scanning electron microscope image of bacteriophages mounting an attack on the cell surfaces of Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria. Credit: Science Photo Library

All around the world — in the oceans, the soil, your body — an invisible battle is raging. Earth’s vast population of roughly 1030 bacteria faces an unending onslaught from an even larger army of viruses, known as bacteriophages. The bacteria have a variety of defences at their disposal: they chop up viral components, deny the invaders key ingredients for replication and even shut down their own biological systems to halt infections, sacrificing themselves to protect nearby kin. The viruses, in turn, evolve counter-defence mechanisms, resulting in an ever-escalating arms race.

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Nature 640, 306-308 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-01065-4

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