Microbes are key to turning plants into liquid fuels. Yeasts and bacteria eat plant sugars, such as glucose, and turn them into alcohols, a […]

  Erica L-W Majumder might be an alchemist. Her goal? Turn trash into environmental gold. This assistant professor of bacteriology believes landfills like the one […]

  We often look to the smallest life-forms for help solving the biggest problems: Microbes can make foods and beverages, cure diseases, treat waste, and […]

  In Controlled Burn (Grow, fall 2018), Erik Ness introduced readers to the Charcoalator, a small furnace that sustains tiny fires under controlled conditions. Associate […]

  In the fall 2020 issue of Grow, Eric Hamilton highlighted a team of CALS scientists and their search for alternatives to synthetic crop fertilizers. […]

  It’s December 2018. Karthik Anantharaman awakens at 6 a.m., afloat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He’s barely slept, adrenaline is flowing. There’s […]

CALS scientists delve into the microbial communities in our digestive tracts — and their implications for our health

More than half a century ago, the advent of antibiotics transformed medicine. Today, the slumping performance of these drugs is spurring new treatment innovations.

Garret Suen’s study of microorganisms involved in herbivore digestion holds promise
for human health and our environment

Microbes inhabit our bodies by the trillions, yet how they benefit us mostly remains a mystery. As scientists work with animals to illuminate that complex dynamic, they are excited about the potential microbes may hold for human health.

Protecting organic meats from deadly bacteria calls for developing new antimicrobial
agents from natural sources

As you read the feature stories in this edition of Grow, I invite you to consider how they reflect the mission, vision, guiding principles and […]