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…
Bacteria News
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…
Life at Its Limits: Microbes in the Seabed Survive on Far Less Energy Than Shown Ever Before
All life needs energy. Where there is not enough energy available, there can be no life. But how much is enough? A new study led…
Shrinking (Ultra)Violet: Using Narrow Wavebands of UV Light to Kill Germs in Drinking Water
NIST researchers describe unique system for testing how well narrow wavebands of UV light kill germs. While awaiting full access to their labs due to…
Medieval Medicine Remedy – Found in 9th Century Bald’s Leechbook – Could Provide New Treatment for Modern Day Infections
To fight antibiotic resistance more antimicrobials are needed to treat bacterial biofilms, which protect an infection from antibiotics. Using the ‘Balds eyesalve’ medieval mixture containing…
Life in the Pits: Scientists Identify the Key Enzyme Behind Body Odor
Scientists have discovered a unique enzyme responsible for the pungent characteristic smell we call body odor or BO. Researchers from the University of York have…
Alien Microorganism Research Shows Humans and Other Mammals Could Struggle to Fight Space Germs
The immune systems of mammals – including humans – might struggle to detect and respond to germs from other planets, new research suggests. Microorganisms (such…
