Infectious Diseases Experts: Superbugs on Track to Kill More People Than COVID-19
Without urgent action superbugs will kill 22,000 Australians a year by 2040 A comprehensive national database is needed to capture infection rates and arrest the…
Bacteria
Uncovering Novel Genomes From Earth’s Microbiomes – Expands Known Diversity of Bacteria and Archaea by 44%
Despite advances in sequencing technologies and computational methods in the past decade, researchers have uncovered genomes for just a small fraction of Earth’s microbial diversity….
Dog Ticks More Likely to Choose Humans Over Canines When Temperatures Rise
New study presented at TropMed20 shows how climate change could expand and intensify the risk of disease that kills one in five if not treated…
Evolution Favors New Epidemic Diseases of “Intermediate” Severity
New epidemic diseases have an evolutionary advantage if they are of “intermediate” severity, research shows. Scientists tested the theory that pathogens (disease-causing organisms) that inflict…
Disinfected by the Sun: New Cotton Face Mask Kills Up to 99.9999% of Bacteria and Viruses in Daylight
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have become accustomed to wearing cotton face masks in public places. However, viruses and bacteria that stick to the…
Biologists Shed Light on Mystery of How Microbes Evolve and Adapt to Hosts
The era of COVID-19 and the need to constantly wash one’s hands and sanitize things have brought microbes to new levels of scrutiny, particularly for…
Scientists Warn: Drug-Resistant Hospital Bacteria Persist Even After Deep Cleaning
Scientists have used genome sequencing to reveal the extent to which a drug-resistant gastrointestinal bacterium can spread within a hospital, highlighting the challenge hospitals face…
Fresh Solution for Smelly Feet From Breakthrough Nano-Particle Technology
New research[1] presented at the 29th EADV Congress, EADV Virtual, shows that socks coated in zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) can prevent bromodosis (foot odor) and…
Evolution Discovery: No Social Distancing at the Beginning of Life
Discovery that bacterial biofilms behave like animal embryos sheds new light on the origin of life. Bacteria are a dominant form of life that inhabit…
New High-Speed Test Shows How Antibiotics Combine to Kill Bacteria
Researchers at Uppsala University have developed a new method to determine — rapidly, easily and cheaply — how effective two antibiotics combined can be in…
“Honey Bee, It’s Me” – Gut Bacteria Is Key to Bee ID
For a honey bee, few things are more important than recognizing your nestmates. Being able to tell a nestmate from an invader could mean the…
Fat Bacteria? Skinny Bacteria? There’s a Reason Microbes Stay in Shape
Rice University theorists show how random processes cancel out to ensure microbial health. Fat bacteria? Skinny bacteria? From our perspective on high, they all seem…
Supercharged Bacterial “Clones” Spark Scarlet Fever’s Global Re-emergence
A University of Queensland-led team of international researchers says supercharged “clones” of the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes are to blame for the resurgence of the disease, which has…
Genome of Alexander Fleming’s Original Penicillin Mold Sequenced for the First Time
Researchers have sequenced the genome of Alexander Fleming’s penicillin mold for the first time and compared it to later versions. Alexander Fleming famously discovered the…
The Toughest Organisms on Earth: Evolution of Radio-Resistance Is More Complicated Than Previously Thought
Radio-resistance of bacteria can be induced independently, to the level of Deinococcus radiodurans (one of the most resistant bacteria). The toughest organisms on Earth, called…
Mysterious Magnetic “Sixth Sense” Some Animals Have May Come From Bacteria
The question is one that has been unresolved despite 50 years of research. A University of Central Florida researcher is co-author of a new paper…
Evolutionary Insight: New Connection Discovered Between Primordial Organisms and Complex Life
A novel connection between primordial organisms and complex life has been discovered, as new evidence sheds light on the evolutionary origins of the cell division…
New Nanomaterials Inspired by Insect Wings Destroy Super-Bacteria – By Stretching, Slicing or Tearing Them Apart
Scientists reveal how nanomaterials inspired by insect wings are able to destroy bacteria on contact — by stretching, slicing or tearing them apart. The wings…