Lasers can eavesdrop on microbes, including viruses

bacteria: (singular: bacterium) A type of single-celled organism. These dwell nearly everywhere, from the bottom of the sea to inside other living organisms (such as plants and animals). Bacteria are one of the three domains of life on Earth.

chemistry: The field of science that deals with the composition, structure and properties of substances and how they interact. Scientists use this knowledge to study unfamiliar substances, to reproduce large quantities of useful substances or to design and create new and useful substances.

E. coli: (short for Escherichia coli) A common bacterium that researchers often harness to study genetics. Some naturally occurring strains of this microbe cause disease, but many others do not.

environment: The sum of all of the things that exist around an organism or the process and the condition those things create. Environment may refer to the weather and ecosystem in which an animal lives, or, perhaps, the temperature and humidity (or even the placement of things in the vicinity of an item of interest).

fungi: (sing: fungus) Organisms with one or more cells that reproduce via spores and feed on living or decaying organic matter. Examples include mold, yeasts and mushrooms.

germ: Any one-celled microorganism (microbe), such as a bacterium or fungal species, or a virus particle. Some germs cause disease. Others can promote the health of more complex organisms, including birds and mammals. Most live in the environment and have no known effects on human health.

infect: To spread a disease from one organism to another. This usually involves introducing some sort of disease-causing germ to an individual.

laser: A device that generates an intense beam of coherent light of a single color. Lasers are used in drilling and cutting, alignment and guidance, in data storage and in surgery.

microbiologist: A scientist who studies microorganisms, the infections they might cause or ways that they can interact with their environment.

microscope: An instrument used to view objects — such as bacteria or the single cells of plants or animals — that are too small to be visible to the unaided eye.

molecule: An group of atoms that represents the smallest possible amount of a chemical compound. Molecules can be made of single types of atoms or of different types. For example, the oxygen in the air is made of two oxygen atoms (O₂), but water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H₂O).

organism: Any living thing, from elephants and plants to bacteria and other types of single-celled life.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: A prestigious journal publishing original scientific research, begun in 1914. The journal’s content spans the biological, physical and social sciences. Each of the more than 3,000 papers it publishes each year are not only peer-reviewed but also approved by a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

protein: A compound made from one or more long chains of amino acids. Proteins are an essential part of all living organisms. They form the basis of cells and do the work inside of cells and throughout the body. Antibodies, hemoglobin and enzymes are all examples of proteins. Medicines frequently work by latching onto proteins.

sensor: A device that picks up information on physical or chemical conditions — such as temperature, barometric pressure, salinity, humidity, pH, light intensity or radiation — and stores or broadcasts that information. Scientists and engineers often rely on sensors to inform them of conditions that may change over time or that exist far from where a researcher can measure them directly.

sound wave: A wave that transmits sound. Sound waves have alternating swaths of high and low pressure.

species: A group of similar organisms capable of producing offspring that can survive and reproduce.

strain: (in biology) Organisms that belong to the same species and share some small but definable characteristics. For example, biologists breed certain strains of mice that may have a particular susceptibility to disease. Species of bacteria or viruses may develop strains when some members of the species gain mutations. Sometimes, specific strains are immune to drugs that would usually kill that species of microbe.

technology: The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, or the devices, processes and systems that result from those efforts.

unique: Something that is unlike anything else; the only one of its kind.

virus: Tiny infectious particles consisting of genetic material (RNA or DNA) surrounded by protein. Viruses can reproduce only by injecting their genetic material into the cells of living creatures. Although scientists frequently refer to viruses as alive or dead, in fact many scientists agree that viruses are not truly alive. They don’t eat as animals do or make their own food as most plants do. A virus must hijack the cellular machinery of a living cell to survive.

wave: A disturbance or variation that travels through space and matter in a regular, oscillating fashion.