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Coal is surprisingly rich in bacteria according to the world's first atlas of microbial biodiversity deep under the Earth, which has been developed by Aberystwyth University academics. 

In a recently published paper, researchers in the UK and Austria have named over 65,000 different kinds of microbes. The study, led by Professor Mark Pallen at the Quadram Institute in Norwich, UK, draws on a long tradition of creating well-formed but arbitrary Latin names for new species, but applies this approach at a scale unprecedented in the history of taxonomy.

Bacteria found on the leaves of common UK tree species may remove toxic carbon monoxide (CO) from the air, according to researchers from the University of Warwick, UK.

Bacteria have been found in the International Space Station’s drinking water. A research article published in the journal Microbiology discussed the bacteria found coating drinking water pipes and tanks on the International Space Station (ISS).

‘Bioplastics’ that are naturally synthesized by microbes could be made commercially viable by using waste cooking oil as a starting material. This would reduce environmental contamination and also give high-quality plastics suitable for medical implants, according to scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology’s Autumn Conference at the University of Warwick.