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Antibiotic-eating bug unearthed in soil 
It's well known how bacteria exposed to antibiotics for long periods will find ways to resist the drugs—by quickly pumping them out of their cells, for instance, or modifying the compounds so they're no longer toxic.
It's well known how bacteria exposed to antibiotics for long periods will find ways to resist the drugs—by quickly pumping them out of their cells, for instance, or modifying the compounds so they're no longer toxic.
Microbiology
Source: American Society of Agronomy
Posted on: Monday, Dec 10, 2012, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 1213 | Comments: 0
Source: American Society of Agronomy
Posted on: Monday, Dec 10, 2012, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 1213 | Comments: 0
New study sheds light on how Salmonella spreads in the body
Findings of Cambridge scientists, published today in the journal PLoS Pathogens, show a new mechanism used by bacteria to spread in the body with the potential to identify targets to prevent the dissemination of the infection process.
Findings of Cambridge scientists, published today in the journal PLoS Pathogens, show a new mechanism used by bacteria to spread in the body with the potential to identify targets to prevent the dissemination of the infection process.
Microbiology
Source: University of Cambridge
Posted on: Saturday, Dec 08, 2012, 10:15am
Rating: | Views: 1348 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Cambridge
Posted on: Saturday, Dec 08, 2012, 10:15am
Rating: | Views: 1348 | Comments: 0
A new genetic fingerprint lives in your belly
Our bodies contain far more microbial genes than human genes. And a new study suggests that just as human DNA varies from person to person, so too does the massive collection of microbial DNA in the intestine.
Our bodies contain far more microbial genes than human genes. And a new study suggests that just as human DNA varies from person to person, so too does the massive collection of microbial DNA in the intestine.
Microbiology
Source: Washington University School of Medicine
Posted on: Thursday, Dec 06, 2012, 2:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1371 | Comments: 0
Source: Washington University School of Medicine
Posted on: Thursday, Dec 06, 2012, 2:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1371 | Comments: 0
Bacteria blamed for world's worst extinction
Nickel-eating bacteria may have worsened the world's worst mass die-off by producing huge amounts of methane, a new study suggests.
Nickel-eating bacteria may have worsened the world's worst mass die-off by producing huge amounts of methane, a new study suggests.
Microbiology
Source: NBCnews
Posted on: Thursday, Dec 06, 2012, 8:24am
Rating: | Views: 1187 | Comments: 0
Source: NBCnews
Posted on: Thursday, Dec 06, 2012, 8:24am
Rating: | Views: 1187 | Comments: 0
New study shows how copper restricts the spread of global antibiotic-resistant infections
New research from the University of Southampton has shown that copper can prevent horizontal transmission of genes, which has contributed to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant infections worldwide.
New research from the University of Southampton has shown that copper can prevent horizontal transmission of genes, which has contributed to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant infections worldwide.
Microbiology
Source: University of Southampton
Posted on: Wednesday, Dec 05, 2012, 11:00am
Rating: | Views: 1178 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Southampton
Posted on: Wednesday, Dec 05, 2012, 11:00am
Rating: | Views: 1178 | Comments: 0
Why some strains of Lyme disease bacteria are common and others are not
New clues about the bacteria that cause Lyme disease could lead to a novel strategy to reduce infections, according to a study to be published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on December 4. The study reveals that the immune system of the white-footed mouse, a very common reservoir for Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacterium that causes t
New clues about the bacteria that cause Lyme disease could lead to a novel strategy to reduce infections, according to a study to be published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on December 4. The study reveals that the immune system of the white-footed mouse, a very common reservoir for Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacterium that causes t
Microbiology
Source: American Society for Microbiology
Posted on: Wednesday, Dec 05, 2012, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 1139 | Comments: 0
Source: American Society for Microbiology
Posted on: Wednesday, Dec 05, 2012, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 1139 | Comments: 0
ScienceShot: Cocoon Preserves Microbe for the Ages
Such structures are likely an untapped reservoir of bacterial fossils
Such structures are likely an untapped reservoir of bacterial fossils
Microbiology
Source: Science
Posted on: Tuesday, Dec 04, 2012, 8:46am
Rating: | Views: 1122 | Comments: 0
Source: Science
Posted on: Tuesday, Dec 04, 2012, 8:46am
Rating: | Views: 1122 | Comments: 0
ScienceShot: Older Vega Mature Enough to Nurture Life
The star of Contact is old enough to support primitive life
The star of Contact is old enough to support primitive life
Microbiology
Source: Science
Posted on: Tuesday, Dec 04, 2012, 8:46am
Rating: | Views: 1116 | Comments: 0
Source: Science
Posted on: Tuesday, Dec 04, 2012, 8:46am
Rating: | Views: 1116 | Comments: 0
Researchers discover how C. diff red lines immune response
Researchers in the Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory at Virginia Bioinformatics Institute have discovered how a common diarrhea-causing bacterium sends the body's natural defenses into overdrive, actually intensifying illness while fighting infection.
Researchers in the Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory at Virginia Bioinformatics Institute have discovered how a common diarrhea-causing bacterium sends the body's natural defenses into overdrive, actually intensifying illness while fighting infection.
Microbiology
Source: Virginia Tech
Posted on: Monday, Dec 03, 2012, 11:00am
Rating: | Views: 1251 | Comments: 0
Source: Virginia Tech
Posted on: Monday, Dec 03, 2012, 11:00am
Rating: | Views: 1251 | Comments: 0
Study provides first direct evidence linking TB infection in cattle and local badger populations
Transmission of tuberculosis between cattle and badgers has been tracked at a local scale for the first time, using a combination of bacterial whole genome DNA sequencing and mathematical modelling. The findings highlight the potential for the use of next generation sequencing as a tool for disentangling the impact of badgers on TB outbreaks in cows at the farm level.
Transmission of tuberculosis between cattle and badgers has been tracked at a local scale for the first time, using a combination of bacterial whole genome DNA sequencing and mathematical modelling. The findings highlight the potential for the use of next generation sequencing as a tool for disentangling the impact of badgers on TB outbreaks in cows at the farm level.
Microbiology
Source: Wellcome Trust
Posted on: Saturday, Dec 01, 2012, 8:45am
Rating: | Views: 1362 | Comments: 0
Source: Wellcome Trust
Posted on: Saturday, Dec 01, 2012, 8:45am
Rating: | Views: 1362 | Comments: 0
Team uncovers process for chameleon-like changes in world's most abundant phytoplankton
An international team of biologists led by Indiana University's David M. Kehoe has identified both the enzyme and molecular mechanism critical for controlling a chameleon-like process that allows one of the world's most abundant ocean phytoplankton, once known as blue-green algae, to maximize light harvesting for photosynthesis.
An international team of biologists led by Indiana University's David M. Kehoe has identified both the enzyme and molecular mechanism critical for controlling a chameleon-like process that allows one of the world's most abundant ocean phytoplankton, once known as blue-green algae, to maximize light harvesting for photosynthesis.
Microbiology
Source: Indiana University
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 28, 2012, 10:30am
Rating: | Views: 11086 | Comments: 0
Source: Indiana University
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 28, 2012, 10:30am
Rating: | Views: 11086 | Comments: 0
Ancient microbes found living beneath the icy surface of Antarctic lake
This week a pioneering study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and co-authored by Dr. Alison Murray and Dr. Christian Fritsen of Nevada's Desert Research Institute (DRI) reveals, for the first time, a viable community of bacteria that survives and ekes out a living in a dark, salty and subfreezing environment beneath nearly 20 meters of ic
This week a pioneering study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and co-authored by Dr. Alison Murray and Dr. Christian Fritsen of Nevada's Desert Research Institute (DRI) reveals, for the first time, a viable community of bacteria that survives and ekes out a living in a dark, salty and subfreezing environment beneath nearly 20 meters of ic
Microbiology
Source: Desert Research Institute
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 28, 2012, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 13643 | Comments: 0
Source: Desert Research Institute
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 28, 2012, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 13643 | Comments: 0
Deciphering bacterial doomsday decisions
Like a homeowner prepping for a hurricane, the bacterium Bacillus subtilis uses a long checklist to prepare for survival in hard times. In a new study, scientists at Rice University and the University of Houston uncovered an elaborate mechanism that allows B. subtilis to begin preparing for survival, even as it delays the ultimate decision of whether to "hunker down" and withdraw int
Like a homeowner prepping for a hurricane, the bacterium Bacillus subtilis uses a long checklist to prepare for survival in hard times. In a new study, scientists at Rice University and the University of Houston uncovered an elaborate mechanism that allows B. subtilis to begin preparing for survival, even as it delays the ultimate decision of whether to "hunker down" and withdraw int
Microbiology
Source: Rice University
Posted on: Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012, 2:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1608 | Comments: 0
Source: Rice University
Posted on: Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012, 2:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1608 | Comments: 0
Bacteria Gobbles Greenhouse Gas
While greenhouse gases disappearing mysteriously may sound like the type of problem scientists want to have, it also made it difficult to accurately model the long term effects of artificially elevated nitrous oxide levels on the Earth.
While greenhouse gases disappearing mysteriously may sound like the type of problem scientists want to have, it also made it difficult to accurately model the long term effects of artificially elevated nitrous oxide levels on the Earth.
Microbiology
Source: Discovery Channel News
Posted on: Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012, 10:21am
Rating: | Views: 1069 | Comments: 0
Source: Discovery Channel News
Posted on: Tuesday, Nov 27, 2012, 10:21am
Rating: | Views: 1069 | Comments: 0
Beneficial microbes are 'selected and nurtured' in the human gut
Animals, including humans, actively select the gut microbes that are the best partners and nurture them with nutritious secretions, suggests a new study led by Oxford University, and published November 20 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.
Animals, including humans, actively select the gut microbes that are the best partners and nurture them with nutritious secretions, suggests a new study led by Oxford University, and published November 20 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.
Microbiology
Source: Public Library of Science
Posted on: Thursday, Nov 22, 2012, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 1276 | Comments: 0
Source: Public Library of Science
Posted on: Thursday, Nov 22, 2012, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 1276 | Comments: 0
Engineered bacteria can make the ultimate sacrifice
Scientists have engineered bacteria that are capable of sacrificing themselves for the good of the bacterial population. These altruistically inclined bacteria, which are described online in the journal Molecular Systems Biology, can be used to demonstrate the conditions where programmed cell death becomes a distinct advantage for the survival of the bacterial
Scientists have engineered bacteria that are capable of sacrificing themselves for the good of the bacterial population. These altruistically inclined bacteria, which are described online in the journal Molecular Systems Biology, can be used to demonstrate the conditions where programmed cell death becomes a distinct advantage for the survival of the bacterial
Microbiology
Source: European Molecular Biology Organization
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 21, 2012, 4:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1224 | Comments: 0
Source: European Molecular Biology Organization
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 21, 2012, 4:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1224 | Comments: 0
New coronavirus related to viruses from bats
The virus that is causing alarm among global public health authorities after it killed a man in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia earlier this year and is now linked to two other cases of disease is a novel type of coronavirus most closely related to viruses found in bats, according to a genetic analysis to be published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, o
The virus that is causing alarm among global public health authorities after it killed a man in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia earlier this year and is now linked to two other cases of disease is a novel type of coronavirus most closely related to viruses found in bats, according to a genetic analysis to be published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, o
Epidemiology
Source: American Society for Microbiology
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 21, 2012, 12:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1184 | Comments: 0
Source: American Society for Microbiology
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 21, 2012, 12:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1184 | Comments: 0
Search for Extreme Life Takes to the Skies
Astrobiologists plan a stratospheric hunt for microorganisms that could have seeded life beyond Earth.
Astrobiologists plan a stratospheric hunt for microorganisms that could have seeded life beyond Earth.
Microbiology
Source: Discovery Channel News
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 21, 2012, 10:36am
Rating: | Views: 1098 | Comments: 0
Source: Discovery Channel News
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 21, 2012, 10:36am
Rating: | Views: 1098 | Comments: 0
Rare parasitic fungi could have anti-flammatory benefits
Caterpillar fungi (Cordyceps) are rare parasites found on hibernating caterpillars in the mountains of Tibet. For centuries they have been highly prized as a traditional Chinese medicine - just a small amount can fetch hundreds of pounds.
Caterpillar fungi (Cordyceps) are rare parasites found on hibernating caterpillars in the mountains of Tibet. For centuries they have been highly prized as a traditional Chinese medicine - just a small amount can fetch hundreds of pounds.
Microbiology
Source: University of Nottingham
Posted on: Friday, Nov 16, 2012, 1:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1318 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Nottingham
Posted on: Friday, Nov 16, 2012, 1:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1318 | Comments: 0
Fighting bacteria with mucus
Slimy layers of bacterial growth, known as biofilms, pose a significant hazard in industrial and medical settings. Once established, biofilms are very difficult to remove, and a great deal of research has gone into figuring out how to prevent and eradicate them.
Slimy layers of bacterial growth, known as biofilms, pose a significant hazard in industrial and medical settings. Once established, biofilms are very difficult to remove, and a great deal of research has gone into figuring out how to prevent and eradicate them.
Microbiology
Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Posted on: Friday, Nov 09, 2012, 5:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1969 | Comments: 0
Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Posted on: Friday, Nov 09, 2012, 5:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1969 | Comments: 0
Strange diet for methane consuming microorganisms
Methane is formed under the absence of oxygen by natural biological and physical processes, e.g. in the sea floor. It is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Thanks to the activity of microorganisms this gas is inactivated before it reaches the atmosphere and unfolds its harmful effects on Earth's climate. Researchers from Bremen have now proven that these microorganisms are qu
Methane is formed under the absence of oxygen by natural biological and physical processes, e.g. in the sea floor. It is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Thanks to the activity of microorganisms this gas is inactivated before it reaches the atmosphere and unfolds its harmful effects on Earth's climate. Researchers from Bremen have now proven that these microorganisms are qu
Microbiology
Source: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 07, 2012, 10:30am
Rating: | Views: 1199 | Comments: 0
Source: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Posted on: Wednesday, Nov 07, 2012, 10:30am
Rating: | Views: 1199 | Comments: 0
Superbug MRSA identified in US wastewater treatment plants
A team led by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Public Health has found that the "superbug" methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is prevalent at several U.S. wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). MRSA is well known for causing difficult-to-treat and potentially fatal bacterial infections in hospital patients, but since the late 1990s it has
A team led by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Public Health has found that the "superbug" methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is prevalent at several U.S. wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). MRSA is well known for causing difficult-to-treat and potentially fatal bacterial infections in hospital patients, but since the late 1990s it has
Microbiology
Source: University of Maryland
Posted on: Tuesday, Nov 06, 2012, 12:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1563 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Maryland
Posted on: Tuesday, Nov 06, 2012, 12:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1563 | Comments: 0
Researchers 'watch' antibiotics attack tuberculosis bacteria inside cells
Weill Cornell Medical College researchers report that mass spectrometry, a tool currently used to detect and measure proteins and lipids, can also now allow biologists to "see" for the first time exactly how drugs work inside living cells to kill infectious microbes. As a result, scientists may be able to improve existing antibiotics and design new, smarter ones to fight
Weill Cornell Medical College researchers report that mass spectrometry, a tool currently used to detect and measure proteins and lipids, can also now allow biologists to "see" for the first time exactly how drugs work inside living cells to kill infectious microbes. As a result, scientists may be able to improve existing antibiotics and design new, smarter ones to fight
Microbiology
Source: Weill Cornell Medical College
Posted on: Friday, Nov 02, 2012, 4:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1785 | Comments: 0
Source: Weill Cornell Medical College
Posted on: Friday, Nov 02, 2012, 4:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1785 | Comments: 0
Last life on Earth: microbes will rule the far future
A timeline for habitability on rocky planets around sun-like stars offers a glimpse of Earth's future and a way to search for alien life in places we might have overlooked
A timeline for habitability on rocky planets around sun-like stars offers a glimpse of Earth's future and a way to search for alien life in places we might have overlooked
Microbiology
Source: New Scientist
Posted on: Thursday, Nov 01, 2012, 8:40am
Rating: | Views: 1086 | Comments: 0
Source: New Scientist
Posted on: Thursday, Nov 01, 2012, 8:40am
Rating: | Views: 1086 | Comments: 0
E. coli adapts to colonize plants
New research from the Institute of Food Research has given new clues as to how some E. coli strains, normally at home in mammalian gastrointestinal tracts, have adopted slightly different transmission strategies, with some being better adapted to live on plants than others. In the light of recent outbreaks of food poisoning due to contamination of vegetables by dangerous strains of
New research from the Institute of Food Research has given new clues as to how some E. coli strains, normally at home in mammalian gastrointestinal tracts, have adopted slightly different transmission strategies, with some being better adapted to live on plants than others. In the light of recent outbreaks of food poisoning due to contamination of vegetables by dangerous strains of
Microbiology
Source: Norwich BioScience Institutes
Posted on: Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012, 12:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1553 | Comments: 0
Source: Norwich BioScience Institutes
Posted on: Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012, 12:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1553 | Comments: 0
Honeybees harbor antibiotic-resistance genes
Bacteria in the guts of honeybees are highly resistant to the antibiotic tetracycline, probably as a result of decades of preventive antibiotic use in domesticated hives. Researchers from Yale University identified eight different tetracycline resistance genes among U.S. honeybees that were exposed to the antibiotic, but the genes were largely absent in bees from countries where such antibiotic us
Bacteria in the guts of honeybees are highly resistant to the antibiotic tetracycline, probably as a result of decades of preventive antibiotic use in domesticated hives. Researchers from Yale University identified eight different tetracycline resistance genes among U.S. honeybees that were exposed to the antibiotic, but the genes were largely absent in bees from countries where such antibiotic us
Microbiology
Source: American Society for Microbiology
Posted on: Tuesday, Oct 30, 2012, 10:00am
Rating: | Views: 1239 | Comments: 0
Source: American Society for Microbiology
Posted on: Tuesday, Oct 30, 2012, 10:00am
Rating: | Views: 1239 | Comments: 0
Antibiotics that only partly block protein machinery allow germs to poison themselves
Powerful antibiotics that scientists and physicians thought stop the growth of harmful bacteria by completely blocking their ability to make proteins actually allow the germs to continue producing certain proteins -- which may help do them in.
Powerful antibiotics that scientists and physicians thought stop the growth of harmful bacteria by completely blocking their ability to make proteins actually allow the germs to continue producing certain proteins -- which may help do them in.
Microbiology
Source: University of Illinois at Chicago
Posted on: Friday, Oct 26, 2012, 1:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1181 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Illinois at Chicago
Posted on: Friday, Oct 26, 2012, 1:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1181 | Comments: 0
Living power cables discovered
A multinational research team has discovered filamentous bacteria that function as living power cables in order to transmit electrons thousands of cell lengths away.
A multinational research team has discovered filamentous bacteria that function as living power cables in order to transmit electrons thousands of cell lengths away.
Microbiology
Source: University of Southern California
Posted on: Thursday, Oct 25, 2012, 2:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1187 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Southern California
Posted on: Thursday, Oct 25, 2012, 2:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1187 | Comments: 0
Scientists target bacterial transfer of resistance genes
The bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae – which can cause pneumonia, meningitis, bacteremia and sepsis – likes to share its antibiotic-defeating weaponry with its neighbors. Individual cells can pass resistance genes to one another through a process called horizontal gene transfer, or by "transformation," the uptake of DNA from the environment.
The bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae – which can cause pneumonia, meningitis, bacteremia and sepsis – likes to share its antibiotic-defeating weaponry with its neighbors. Individual cells can pass resistance genes to one another through a process called horizontal gene transfer, or by "transformation," the uptake of DNA from the environment.
Microbiology
Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Posted on: Thursday, Oct 25, 2012, 1:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1273 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Posted on: Thursday, Oct 25, 2012, 1:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1273 | Comments: 0
Did bacteria spark evolution of multicellular life?
Bacteria have a bad rap as agents of disease, but scientists are increasingly discovering their many benefits, such as maintaining a healthy gut.
Bacteria have a bad rap as agents of disease, but scientists are increasingly discovering their many benefits, such as maintaining a healthy gut.
Microbiology
Source: University of California - Berkeley
Posted on: Thursday, Oct 25, 2012, 8:30am
Rating: | Views: 5434 | Comments: 0
Source: University of California - Berkeley
Posted on: Thursday, Oct 25, 2012, 8:30am
Rating: | Views: 5434 | Comments: 0
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