Coaxing purple bacteria into becoming bioplastic factories
In a world overrun by petroleum-based plastics, scientists are searching for alternatives that are more sustainable, more biodegradable and far less toxic to the environment......»»
Study provides fresh insights into antibiotic resistance, fitness landscapes
E. coli bacteria may be far more capable of evolving antibiotic resistance than scientists previously thought, according to a new study published in Science on November 24......»»
The electronic noses designed to prevent food poisoning
Tech firms have developed AI-powered sensors that can detect bacteria in food......»»
Researchers identify "unicorn" defense mechanism that protects bacteria from antibiotics
Researchers at McMaster University have discovered unique characteristics of a mechanism used by bacteria to resist an important class of antibiotics. The new research, published in Nature Chemical Biology, shows that resistance to aminoglycoside dru.....»»
Bacteria found to contribute to the modulation of animal behavior
An increasingly important field of work in modern life sciences is the study of the symbiotic coexistence of animals, plants, and humans with their specific microbial populations. In recent years, researchers have gathered growing evidence that the c.....»»
Researchers discover novel bacteriocin in common skin bacterium
Infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a growing global problem. Part of the solution may lie in copying the bacteria's own weapons. Researchers in Tromsø have found a new bacteriocin, in a very common skin bacterium. Bacteriocin inhibits.....»»
Dwarf galaxies use 10-million-year quiet period to churn out stars
If you look at massive galaxies teeming with stars, you might be forgiven for thinking they are star factories, churning out brilliant balls of gas. But actually, less evolved dwarf galaxies have bigger regions of star factories, with higher rates of.....»»
Bacteria store "memories" and pass them on for generations, study finds
Scientists have discovered that bacteria can create something like memories about when to form strategies that can cause dangerous infections in people, such as resistance to antibiotics and bacterial swarms when millions of bacteria come together on.....»»
Caught in living cells: How bacteria regulate their genes to defend themselves
For the first time, it was shown in living cells how the bacterium E. coli regulates genes that help it survive in a new environment. Biochemist Fatema Zahra Rashid managed to do this using a technique she fine-tuned. Her research into changes in 3-d.....»»
Sophisticated swarming: Bacteria support each other across generations
When bacteria build communities, they cooperate and share nutrients across generations. Researchers at the University of Basel have been able to demonstrate this for the first time using a newly developed method. This innovative technique enables the.....»»
Study sheds new light on mechanism of robust motility of flagellated bacteria
Flagellated bacteria are propelled by the rotation of helical flagellar filaments, each with a flagellar motor at its base. Taking Escherichia coli (E. coli) as an example, each cell has 3–7 flagella whose rotation as a helical bundle enables the c.....»»
Researchers predict climate change-driven reduction in beneficial plant microbes
Bacteria that benefit plants are thought to be a critical contributor to crops and other ecosystems, but climate change may reduce their numbers, according to a new study by an international team of researchers. They have published their findings in.....»»
400-year-old mystery of why early explosive produces purple smoke solved by academics
Scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered why fulminating gold—the world's first known high explosive—produces a purple smoke when it detonates, solving a 400-year-old alchemy puzzle......»»
Q&A: To save the planet"s glaciers, human actions still matter, says scientist
Climate change is melting glaciers around the world. Vanishing ice means less water for the millions of people relying on it and threatens the habitats of species—from bacteria to plants and fish—that live in glacier-fed ecosystems......»»
Why purple-crowned fairy-wrens engage in cooperative breeding
A team of biologists at Monash University, working with a colleague from Wageningen University, has found an explanation for why purple-crowned fairy wrens engage in cooperative breeding. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Sci.....»»
Microbiome development: Bacteria lay the foundations for their descendants
The microbiome (the symbiotic community of microbial organisms of a host) is of existential importance for the functioning of every plant and animal, including human beings. A research team from Düsseldorf and Kiel headed by Heinrich Heine Universit.....»»
New method combines synthetic biology with AI in the cell-free quest for new antibiotics
The rising resistance of bacteria to antibiotics presents an escalating global health risk. Now, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg, Germany, have combined synthetic biology and artificial intelligence (AI.....»»
Barefoot workers, bacteria found at factory that made big-brand eye drops
Around 30 eye drop brands are recalled; FDA inspection report shows why. Enlarge / Eye drop over woman's eye. (credit: Getty | AGF) The Indian manufacturing facility that made generic eye drops sold under CVS, Target, R.....»»
Enhancing the antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles against pathogens by using tea extracts
Researchers at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IPC PAS) have demonstrated that green tea–silver nanoparticles as a powerful tool against pathogens such as bacteria and yeast. Their work is published in Nanosca.....»»
Suppliers want more legal immigration to fix labor shortage at factories
Suppliers and economists said reduced immigration levels are contributing to a labor shortage that is putting a squeeze on the supply base......»»
More than meows: How bacteria help cats communicate
Many mammals, from domestic cats and dogs to giant pandas, use scent to communicate with each other. A new study from the University of California, Davis shows how domestic cats send signals to each other using odors derived from families of bacteria.....»»