Bacteria do not colonize the gut before birth
Researchers examined prenatal stool (meconium) samples collected from 20 babies during breech Cesarean delivery. By including only breech caesarean deliveries in healthy pregnant women they were able to avoid the transmission of bacteria that occurs.....»»
Researchers discover rare phages that attack dormant bacteria
In nature, most bacteria live on the bare minimum. If they experience nutrient deficiency or stress, they shut down their metabolism in a controlled manner and go into a resting state. In this stand-by mode, certain metabolic processes still take pla.....»»
Status update in evolutionary race between humans and resistant bacteria: Two steps forward for us
In the span of one week, two researchers from Leiden are receiving their Ph.D.s, each of them on an important step in the battle against bacteria that are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics......»»
ALMA observations show how double, triple, quadruple and quintuple star systems form simultaneously in a molecular cloud
For humans, the chance of giving birth to multiples is less than 2%. The situation is different with stars, especially with particularly heavy stars. Astronomers observe stars that are many times heavier than the sun in more than 80% of cases in doub.....»»
Researchers discover new antibiotic-resistant species of bacteria
Researchers at University of Limerick in Ireland have discovered a new species of bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics......»»
Thousands of U.S. Cities Could Become Virtual Ghost Towns by 2100
These projected findings about depopulation in U.S. cities are shaped by a multitude of factors, including the decline of industry, lower birth rates and the impacts of climate change.....»»
Astronomers find spark of star birth across billions of years
Astronomers have completed the largest and most detailed study of what triggers stars to form in the universe's biggest galaxies, using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes. They were surprised to find that the conditions for stellar.....»»
Study discovers how a system of proteins helps Salmonella survive inside macrophages
Salmonella is notorious for surviving and replicating in macrophages, which are normally lethal to invading bacteria because of their inhospitable environment. In a new study, researchers have discovered how a system of proteins, called TamAB, helps.....»»
Analysis of two decades" worth of antibiotic resistance shows antibiotic use is not the only driver of superbugs
For the first time, researchers have analyzed the impact of antibiotic use on the rise of treatment-resistant bacteria over the last 20 years in the UK and Norway. They show that while the increase in drug use has amplified the spread of superbugs, i.....»»
Researcher: Mothers are more likely to work worse jobs—while fathers thrive in careers
Having a child is bad for a woman's earnings. This is not only in the immediate period after the birth, but across her lifetime—as shown in research by recent economics Nobel prize-winner Claudia Goldin......»»
Study shows otters, beavers and other semiaquatic mammals keep clean underwater, thanks to their flexible fur
Underwater surfaces can get grimy as they accumulate dirt, algae and bacteria, a process scientists call "fouling." But furry mammals like beavers and otters that spend most of their lives wet manage to avoid getting their fur slimy. These anti-fouli.....»»
Notorious cell subpopulation key to antibiotic failure, say scientists
Antibiotic overuse can lead to antibiotic resistance, but classic antibiotic resistance might not completely explain why antibiotics sometimes fail. Sub-populations of bacteria called persister cells can survive in the presence of lethal doses of ant.....»»
The value of information gathering in phage–bacteria warfare
Phages, the viruses that infect bacteria, will pay a high growth-rate cost to access environmental information that can help them choose which lifecycle to pursue, according to a study......»»
Fighting superbugs with medical nanomachines
Instruments smaller than a human hair are being designed to eradicate antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fight cancer......»»
South Korea"s gender imbalance is bad news for men. Outnumbering women, many face bleak marriage prospects
South Korea's bachelor time bomb is about to really go off. Following a historic 30-year-long imbalance in the male-to-female sex ratio at birth, young men far outnumber young women in the country. As a result, some 700,000 to 800,000 "extra" South K.....»»
Researchers engineer skin bacteria that are able to secrete and produce molecules that treat acne
International research led by the Translational Synthetic Biology Laboratory of the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS) at Pompeu Fabra University has succeeded in efficiently engineering Cutibacterium acnes, a type of skin bacterium, to.....»»
Researchers discover molecular "barcode" used by bacteria to secrete toxins
Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a molecular "barcode" system used by disease-causing bacteria to distinguish between beneficial and toxic molecules......»»
Researchers discover important membrane transport mechanism in pathogenic bacteria
Some bacterial membrane transporters work almost like freight elevators to transport substances through the cell membrane into the interior of the cell. The transporter itself spans the bacterial membrane. Like a forklift, a soluble protein outside t.....»»
More than 30 new species of bacteria discovered in patient samples
Unknown germs are a common occurrence in hospitals. Researchers at the University of Basel have spent many years collecting and analyzing them. They have identified many new species of bacteria, some of which are significant for clinical practice......»»
Exploring how antibiotic-resistant bacteria become aggressive
Some strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that have recently acquired disease-enhancing genes may not behave as aggressively as expected, according to a Northwestern Medicine study recently published in Nature Communications......»»
Experimental antibiotic kills deadly superbug, opens whole new class of drugs
The relatively large molecule clogs a transport system, leading to lethal toxicity. Enlarge / This Scanning Electron Microscope image depicts several clusters of aerobic Gram-negative, non-motile Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria.....»»