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.....»»
New target for antibiotics promises treatment for multi-drug resistant superbugs
The World Health Organization lists bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics as one of the top 10 global health threats. Therefore, researchers are looking for new antibiotics to counter this resistance. Adéla Melcrová, biophysicist at the Univer.....»»
Webb Space Telescope reveals moment of stellar birth, dramatic close-up of 50 baby stars
The Webb Space Telescope is marking one year of cosmic photographs with one of its best yet: the dramatic close-up of dozens of stars at the moment of birth......»»
Researchers invent trap for capturing and comparing individual bacterial cells
All hospitals battle an invisible threat: Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is a type of bacteria that affects thousands of patients each year in intensive care units, where it can cause sepsis, pneumonia and other types of infections......»»
The Webb telescope just offered a revelatory view of humanity’s distant past
Talk about the circle of life. It is here. It is there. It is everywhere. Enlarge / The first-anniversary image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope displays star birth like it’s never been seen before. (credit: NASA, ESA,.....»»
Caterpillar venom study reveals toxins borrowed from bacteria
Researchers at The University of Queensland have discovered the venom of a notorious caterpillar has a surprising ancestry and could be key to the delivery of lifesaving drugs......»»
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.....»»
Building models to predict interactions in plant microbiomes
Plants, animals, and humans are all home to numerous microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. These form complex communities that have a profound impact on the health of their host. One notable microbiome is that of the human gut, which helps diges.....»»
Study finds viruses can help host bacteria survive in man-made environments
Viruses in man-made environments cause public health concerns, but they are generally less studied than bacteria. A recent study led by environmental scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) provided the first evidence of frequent interac.....»»
Team develops peptides to combat bacterial biofilms
Researchers from the University of St Andrews have developed peptides that can help combat bacteria growing in biofilms, which occur in up to 80% of human infections......»»
Water temperature found to not impact blue-green algae blooms
Even if most cyanobacteria blooms in Canada's lakes happen during the hottest periods of summer, water temperature seems to have little to no impact on the development of these potentially toxic bacteria better known as blue-green algae. Details of t.....»»
Researchers induce cancer cells to "commit suicide" with a self-produced bacterial toxin
For the first time in the world researchers at Tel Aviv University have encoded a toxin produced by bacteria into mRNA (messenger RNA) molecules and delivered these particles directly to cancer cells, causing the cells to produce the toxin—which ev.....»»
Helping plants and bacteria work together reduces fertilizer need, finds new study
Helping to promote the natural relationship between plants and bacteria could reduce reliance on environmentally damaging fertilizers, a study has found......»»
"Sandwich" discovery offers new explanation for planet formation
Scientists have made a new discovery on how small planets might form. Researchers at the University of Warwick investigated the "birth environment" of planets—areas of gas and dust that swirl around a central star—known as the protoplanetary disk.....»»
Scientists designed new enzyme using Antarctic bacteria and computer calculations
For the first time, researchers have succeeded in predicting how to change the optimum temperature of an enzyme using large computer calculations. A cold-adapted enzyme from an Antarctic bacterium was used as a basis. The study was published in the j.....»»
How biocrust influences bacterial communities in both biocrust and subsoil layers
Biocrusts, known as the "desert skin," includes communities of cyanobacteria, algae, fungi, bacteria, lichen, and mosses. They can mediate both the physical and biological environments of dryland ecosystems......»»
No more crying over rotting onions? Researchers gain insight into bacteria threatening Vidalia onion production
The Vidalia onion is a trademarked variety of sweet onion that can only be grown in several counties in Georgia by law. These prized vegetables are currently threatened by the bacterial pathogen Pantoea ananatis, which severely damages the plant by r.....»»
Diatom / bacteria symbiosis in the open ocean explored
A study published in PNAS Nexus explores the genetic expression of a photosynthetic symbiont that lives inside an abundant marine organism. Marine diatoms are responsible for one-fifth of global photosynthesis. Many are coastal, but diatom-diazotroph.....»»
Study demonstrates hypochlorite can harm but also help human bodies
Some cells in the human body can generate hypochlorite—the same chemical used to kill bacteria and viruses in household bleach......»»
Magnetic bacteria provide clues for the early diversification of bacteria
Magnetotactic bacteria, which can align with the Earth's magnetic field, have been discovered in a new location. Previously observed on land and in shallow water, analysis of a hydrothermal vent has proven that they can also survive deep under the oc.....»»
Plant life found to determine soil bacteria diversity in the Arctic tundra
Living and nonliving factors that influence the types of vegetation that grow at different elevations in the Arctic tundra also regulate the types of bacteria that grow in the soil. The distribution of generalist bacteria, which can adapt to a broade.....»»