Are silver nanoparticles a silver bullet against microbes?
Antimicrobials are used to kill or slow the growth of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. They can be in the form of antibiotics, used to treat bodily infections, or as an additive or coating on commercial products used to keep germs at bay......»»
Silver fly takes flight in the fight to save Fall Creek hemlocks
Researchers are hoping a fly no larger than a grain of rice and a predatory beetle may work together to combat an invasive pest that is devastating hemlocks in Fall Creek and throughout eastern North America......»»
Soil microbes help plants cope with drought, but not how scientists thought
There's a complex world beneath our feet, teeming with diverse and interdependent life. Plants call out with chemical signals in times of stress, summoning microbes that can unlock bound nutrients and find water in soil pores too small for the finest.....»»
Bees have appeared on coins for millennia, hinting at an age-old link between sweetness and value
In 2022, the Royal Australian Mint issued a $2 coin decorated with honeybees. Around 2,400 years earlier, a mint in the kingdom of Macedon had the same idea, creating a silver obol coin with a bee stamped on one side......»»
Machine learning enables discovery of DNA-stabilized silver nanoclusters
DNA can do more than pass genetic code from one generation to the next. For nearly 20 years, scientists have known of the molecule's ability to stabilize nanometer-sized clusters of silver atoms. Some of these structures glow visibly in red and green.....»»
Study improves understanding of how bacteria benefit plant growth
Plants form alliances with microbes in the soil in which they grow. Legumes, for example, benefit from a symbiotic relationship with microbes that inhabit nodules in their roots and "fix" nitrogen in the atmosphere to make it available to promote the.....»»
Desert microbes turn on drought tolerance when needed, finds study
Priming crop plants with a microbe sourced from the roots of desert plants could be a powerful tool to boost crop plant's resilience to drought......»»
Scientists use supercomputer to learn how cicada wings kill bacteria
Over the past decade, teams of engineers, chemists and biologists have analyzed the physical and chemical properties of cicada wings, hoping to unlock the secret of their ability to kill microbes on contact. If this function of nature can be replicat.....»»
Probe expands understanding of oral cavity homeostasis
Your mouth is a crucial interface between the outside world and the inside of your body. Everything you breathe, chew, or drink interacts with your oral cavity—the proteins and the microbes, including microbes that can harm us. When things go awry,.....»»
How do microbes spread globally? A study clarifies how they travel around the world
A new study published in Current Opinion in Biotechnology compiles the scope of the problem of the global dispersal of harmful microorganisms through the upper layers of the atmosphere......»»
Breaking barriers in drug delivery with better lipid nanoparticles
Many diseases can be successfully treated in the simple environment of a cell culture dish, but to successfully treat real people, the drug agent has to take a journey through the infinitely more complex environment within our bodies and arrive, inta.....»»
Cicadas could hold the secret to self-cleaning surfaces—new study
Nature is inspiring scientists all the time. Some ideas are still in research, like beaver-inspired super-warm wetsuits. But others are already part of human life, like Velcro (based on burdock burrs) and the Japanese bullet train (modeled on kingfis.....»»
Researchers study gut-to-CNS translocation of silver nanomaterials
Recently, a research team led by Prof. Chen Chunying from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) revealed that peripheral nerve fibers act as direct conduits for silver nanomaterials transl.....»»
Establishing ethical nanobiotechnology
Prosthetics moved by thoughts. Targeted treatments for aggressive brain cancer. Soldiers with enhanced vision or bionic ears. These powerful technologies sound like science fiction, but they're becoming possible thanks to nanoparticles......»»
Scientists enrich nitric oxide-reducing microbes in bioreactor
Nitric oxide (NO) is a fascinating and versatile molecule, important for all living things as well as the environment. It is highly reactive and toxic, organisms use it as a signaling molecule, it depletes the ozone layer in our planet's atmosphere,.....»»
Extracellular cytochrome nanowires appear to be ubiquitous in microbes
A Geobacter bacteria isolated from a contaminated ditch in Oklahoma has an unusual appendage—a long extracellular nanowire that can conduct electricity. The electron transport chain in this nanowire carries electrons from the bacteria to an insolub.....»»
Research team develops more affordable and brighter film lighting technology
A research team led by Dr. Byeong-dae Choi at the DGIST Division of Electronics & Information System has greatly improved the efficiency of zinc sulfide powder-based electroluminescent devices by applying silver nanofilms. The study was published in.....»»
New laser-based method could help scientists discover new puncture-resistant materials
A bullet piercing the protective armor of a first responder, a jellyfish stinging a swimmer, micrometeorites striking a satellite: High-speed projectiles that puncture materials show up in many forms. Researchers constantly aim to identify new materi.....»»
Modern Hunter-Gatherers Have Thriving Gut Microbiome, Compared with Californians
A Western lifestyle seems to diminish the diversity of gut microbes.....»»
Host genetics shown to play a significant role in the composition of switchgrass root microbiomes
Plants provide a home for a wide diversity of microbes, especially in their roots. In turn, these communities can provide important benefits for the host. A study published in Current Biology investigated how the genetics of host plants determine the.....»»
Tuberculosis therapy: Smallest particles could deliver drugs to the lungs
Therapy for the dangerous infectious disease of tuberculosis faces the challenge of pathogens frequently being resistant to several common antibiotics. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now developed nanoparticles to deliver.....»»