The microbes lurking in saliva and more, September’s best science images via Nature

Spit spot. Zooming in on a sample of human saliva reveals a cluster of microorganisms, including :

• the yeast Candida albicans (blue) and
• the bacterium Streptococcus mutans (green), which secrete
• polymers called α-glucans (red).

Scientists have shown that in samples from children with severe tooth decay, clusters such as this thrive on sugar, and are capable of ‘walking’ along tooth-like surfaces using the yeast’s long filaments as ‘legs’.

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