How microbes may help mitigate mercury absorption
New research by a team at Pennsylvania State University suggests that microbes in the human gut could be harnessed to help the body absorb useful nutritional metals—like iron, which is critical for red blood cells—and block or even remove the abs.....»»
AI can mitigate bias against women in loan decisions and boost lenders" profits and reputations
Recent research from the University of Bath shows discrimination against women worsens if Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used by lenders for loans, but that ethical lenders could choose to tweak the AI algorithms to address this bias and still impro.....»»
Promising antibiotic candidates discovered in microbes deep in the Arctic Sea
Antibiotics are the linchpin of modern medicine: without them, anyone with open wounds or needing to undergo surgery would be at constant risk of dangerous infections. Yet we continue to face a global antibiotics crisis, as more and more resistant st.....»»
California legislature passes controversial “kill switch” AI safety bill
Governor will balance worries about "over-regulation" with calls from AI luminaries. Enlarge / California governor Gavin Newsom will likely soon face a decision on whether to sign SB-1047. (credit: Ray Chavez/The Mercury News via.....»»
What"s in the foods we eat? Researchers develop a food microbiome database
Microbes are part of the food we eat and can influence our own microbiome, but we know very little about the microbes in our foods. Now, researchers have developed a database of the "food microbiome" by sequencing the metagenomes of 2,533 different f.....»»
Researchers investigate cell-free DNA as early sepsis marker in foals
It's hard to be a horse. It's especially hard to be a newborn foal, dropped into a world of microbes and bacteria with your sole initial defense against devastating infections being the antibodies you get from your mother's milk, or colostrum. Resear.....»»
Hybrid imaging approach reveals microbes in 3D
Caltech researchers have developed a new method to create three-dimensional images of complex communities of bacteria and plant roots. The technology synthesizes two traditional methods of imaging: visualizing microbes with fluorescence and a noninva.....»»
From recycling to food: Can we eat plastic-munching microbes?
Researchers are trying to turn plastic-eating bacteria into food source for humans. Enlarge (credit: Olga Pankova/Moment via Getty Images) In 2019, an agency within the US Department of Defense released a call for resear.....»»
AI exhibits racial bias in mortgage underwriting decisions, researchers find
Putting AI to use in mortgage lending decisions could lead to discrimination against Black applicants, according to new research. But researchers say there may be a surprisingly simple solution to mitigate this potential bias......»»
Ancient microbes linked to evolution of human immune proteins
When you become infected with a virus, some of the first weapons your body deploys to fight it are those passed down to us from our microbial ancestors billions of years ago. According to new research from The University of Texas at Austin, two key e.....»»
Bacteria make thermally stable plastics similar to polystyrene and PET for the first time
Bioengineers around the world have been working to create plastic-producing microbes that could replace the petroleum-based plastics industry. Now, researchers from Korea have overcome a major hurdle: getting bacteria to produce polymers that contain.....»»
Study finds "DNA scavengers" can stop some antibiotic resistance from spreading
For nearly a century, scientists have waged war on antibiotic-resistant microbes. Michigan State University researchers say they've found a new way to prevent it—by unleashing "DNA scavengers" in wastewater treatment plants......»»
Mining the microbiome: Uncovering new antibiotics inside the human gut
The average human gut contains roughly 100 trillion microbes, many of which are constantly competing for limited resources. "It's such a harsh environment," says César de la Fuente, Presidential Assistant Professor in Bioengineering and in Chemical.....»»
"Mercury bomb" threatens millions as Arctic temperatures rise, study warns
The Yukon River flows west across Alaska toward the Bering Sea, eroding Arctic permafrost along its banks and transporting sediment downstream. Within that sediment lurks a toxic stowaway: mercury......»»
Wildfires are increasing toxic mercury in streams in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, study finds
Wildfires have been burning across Idaho this summer, and their list of harmful impacts is long, from worsening health conditions because of smoke to challenges recovering millions in costs to fight them......»»
Revealing the mysteries within microbial genomes with a new high-throughput approach
A new technique developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) will make it much easier for researchers to discover the traits or activities encoded by genes of unknown function in microbes, a key step toward understanding the role.....»»
Rising mercury pollution in soil could be related to climate change, study suggests
In 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury went into effect, designed to help curb mercury emissions and limit exposure across the globe. However, a new study of mercury levels in soil suggests that the treaty's provisions might not be enough. A stu.....»»
In world first, Russian chess player poisons rival’s board with mercury
At least it wasn't novichok. Enlarge / Amina Abakarova allegedly spreading mercury on her rival's chess board. Russia is no stranger to unique poisonings. State agents have been known to use everything from polonium-lac.....»»
Microbes conquer the next extreme environment: Your microwave
Since the industrial revolution, microbes have successfully colonized one novel type of habitat after another: for example, marine oil spills, plastic floating in the oceans, industrial brownfields, and even the interior of the International Space St.....»»
Mercury Weather gets new widget and extra data provider with its latest update
As I once wrote here on 9to5Mac, Mercury is an elegant weather app for Apple devices for those looking for an alternative to the native iOS Weather app. The developers behind the app have just released a major update to it, which adds things like a.....»»
Common tree in São Paulo (Brazil) tolerates extreme drought and can help mitigate adverse effects of climate change
One of the three main tree species in São Paulo city, Brazil—the largest mega-city in the southern hemisphere—is the Tipuana (Tipuana tipu), also known as rosewood or tipu, a tall tree with a large spreading canopy. It is tolerant of extreme dro.....»»