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In this Essay, Alberset al. discuss the remarkable achievements of two leaders of the archaeal research field: the late Carl Woese and the late Wolfram Zillig. They highlight how the discoveries of these two researchers have inspired the current and upcoming generations of microbiologists.
Fungal taxonomy has recently undergone its biggest shake-up and embraced the modernization of its nomenclatural rules. Here, Hibbett and Taylor describe these changes and what their implications might be for fungal researchers.
The emergence of new microbial infections is ever more likely with the globalization of trade and travel, changes to agricultural practices and climate change. However, as Lipkin describes in this Essay, this threat is being met by dramatic technological advances in pathogen discovery, surveillance and modelling.