Bacteria News

April 6, 2016

A Programming Language for Living Cells

Proving the Genetic Code's Flexibility

Cell Created With Just Enough Genes for Life

Antibiotic Resistance: It's a Social Thing

Latest Headlines

updated 2:55am EDT

Key to Herbal Remedy’s Success May Be in the Bacteria

Apr. 5, 2016 — Juzen-taiho-to, also known as shi quan da bu tang, is a most popular herbal formula in China and Japan and is used in the West by practitioners of traditional Asian medicine. New research suggests ... read more

Targeting Gut Microbiome to Fight Heart Disease

Apr. 5, 2016 — A compound found in red wine, resveratrol, reduces the risk of heart disease by changing the gut microbiome, according to a new study. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in ... read more

Viruses Cause Bacteria to Produce Pink Pigments

Apr. 5, 2016 — Plants use certain color pigments in order to convert light into energy by way of photosynthesis. They allow plants to gather light energy. This also works in a similar way for microbes, for instance ... read more

Early Childhood Antibiotics May Change Gut Microbes and Lead to Adolescent Prediabetes

Apr. 4, 2016 — Young children who take antibiotics may disrupt their gut’s microbial ecosystem and be more likely to develop prediabetes in adolescence, new ... read more

Illuminating the Inner 'Machines' That Give Bacteria an Energy Boost

Mar. 31, 2016 — Scientists have tracked how microscopic organisms called cyanobacteria make use of internal protein 'machines' to boost their ability to convert carbon dioxide into sugar ... read more

Knowledge of Bacteria's Origin, Spread Can Prevent Disease

Mar. 29, 2016 — Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 is an aggressive type of bacteria, which is particularly problematic because it has developed resistance to a number of antimicrobials and has been able to quickly spread ... read more

Water Bears Do Not Have Extensive Foreign DNA, New Study Finds

Mar. 28, 2016 — Tardigrades, also known as moss piglets or water bears, are eight-legged microscopic animals that have long fascinated scientists for their ability to survive extremes of ... read more

Study Finds Vast Diversity Among Viruses That Infect Bacteria

Mar. 24, 2016 — Viruses that infect bacteria are among the most abundant life forms on Earth. Our oceans and soils, and potentially even our own bodies, would be overrun with bacteria were it not for bacteria-eating ... read more

Botulism in Waterbirds: Mortality Rates and New Insights Into How It Spreads

Mar. 25, 2016 — Outbreaks of botulism killed large percentages of waterbirds inhabiting a wetland in Spain. The botulinum toxin's spread may have been abetted by an ... read more

Moving Microswimmers Using Magnetic Vortices

Mar. 24, 2016 — Scientistshave discovered a way to use a microscopic, swirling flow to rapidly clear a circle of tiny bacteria or ... read more

Why Are There So Few New Antibiotics?

Beard Bacteria Could Lead to New Antibiotics

Hyena Feeding in Ethiopia Becomes Tourist Attraction

Is Yelp The Key To Reducing Restaurant Food Poisoning?

Curcumin May Help Overcome Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

Mar. 25, 2016 — New research indicates that curcumin -- a substance in turmeric that is best known as one of the main components of curry powder -- may help fight drug-resistant ... read more

Paradigm Shift: 'We Need to Study Lumps of Bacteria'

Mar. 23, 2016 — New research reveals that bacteria which agglutinate before entering the body are far more resistant than single-celled bacteria. This may be the cause of chronic infections, say ... read more

Unaccounted for Arctic Microbes Appear to Be Speeding Up Glacier Melting

Mar. 23, 2016 — Scientists have discovered that Arctic microbes are increasing the rate at which glaciers melt, in a process not accounted for in current climate change models. Working on an icecap in Svalbard, in ... read more

Using Frog Foam to Deliver Antibiotics

Mar. 23, 2016 — Scientists have shown that the foam made by Trinidadian frogs represents a new, non-toxic antibiotic delivery system that may help to prevent infections. Researchers have been analysing the frog ... read more

Single Bacteria Type Grows 60 Percent Better on the International Space Station Than on Earth

Mar. 22, 2016 — Researchers grew microbes collected from sports teams, historical monuments, museums, spacecraft, and schools and sent them to the International Space Station (ISS) for growth in space. While most of ... read more

‘Bizarre’ Microorganism Produced Nitrogen in Cretaceous Oceans

Mar. 22, 2016 — Researchers have discovered a 'bizarre' microorganism which plays a key role in the food web of Earth's ... read more

Uncovering Bacterial Role in Platinum Formation

Mar. 21, 2016 — The important role of specialist bacteria has been uncovered in the formation and movement of platinum and related metals in surface ... read more

Bacteria's Achilles Heel Uncovered by Single Molecule Chemistry

Mar. 21, 2016 — Drug resistant bacteria are fast becoming one of the big worries of the 21 century. Now researchers have discovered a previously unknown weakness; an 'Achilles heel', of bacteria. Their ... read more

Building Owners 'Face Risks' from Chlorine-Resistant Bacteria

Mar. 18, 2016 — Buildings with storage tanks can face increased risks from chlorine-resistant bacteria in water, according to researchers. A study examining more than 50 tap water samples found water had very few ... read more

Spelling Mutations and Evolutionary Advantages

Mar. 18, 2016 — DNA codes carrying instructions for creating a protein can sometimes be 'spelt' differently, although they specify the exact same sequence information to create that protein. Scientists ... read more

Mercury Rising? Potential Mercury Methylation in Two California Rivers

Mar. 18, 2016 — Gold mining in California in the 19th century was a boon for the state's economy but not so much for the environment. Mining left a protracted legacy that impacts the natural landscape even ... read more

New Tools Developed to Combat Antibiotic Resistance

Mar. 17, 2016 — A new way to prevent bacteria from developing resistance to antibiotics has been discovered by researchers, potentially helping to blunt the edge of a looming threat to public health around the ... read more

New Technique for Rapidly Killing Bacteria Using Tiny Gold Disks and Light

Mar. 17, 2016 — A new technique for killing bacteria in seconds using highly porous gold nanodisks and light has been developed by researchers. The method could one day help hospitals treat some common infections ... read more

New Compounds Discovered as Candidates for New Antimicrobial Drugs Against Listeria Infection

Mar. 17, 2016 — Scientists have discovered chemical compounds which are able to attenuate the virulence of the bacterial human pathogen Listeria ... read more

High Levels of Co-Infection With Pathogens and Symbionts in Ticks from the Ardennes

Mar. 17, 2016 — Ticks are small blood-feeding arachnids that can transmit diseases amongst animals and humans. Researchers studied pathogen species and bacterial symbionts in tick species Ixodes ricinus. Their ... read more

For First Time, Scientists Use CRISPR-Cas9 to Target RNA in Live Cells

Mar. 17, 2016 — Scientists have long sought an efficient method for targeting RNA -- intermediary genetic material that carries the genetic code from the cell's nucleus to protein-making machinery -- in living ... read more

Mom's Microbes Influence Her Offspring's Immune System, Mice Study Shows

Mar. 17, 2016 — During gestation, a mother's microbiome shapes the immune system of her offspring, a new study in mice suggests. While it's known that a newborn's gut microbiota can affect its own ... read more

Subset of E. Coli Bacteria Linked to Deadly Disease in Pre-Term Infants

Mar. 17, 2016 — Necrotizing enterocolitis is an intestinal disease that afflicts about one in 10 extremely premature infants and is fatal in nearly one-third of cases. The premature infant gut is believed to react ... read more

Our Gut Microbiome Is Always Changing; It's Also Remarkably Stable

Mar. 17, 2016 — Turnover is to be expected in the gut -- as soon as one bacterium leaves, another is ready to divide and take its place. The question is how our gut remains healthy under this constantly enacted ... read more

Biogas: The Flexible Way to Greater Energy Yield

Mar. 17, 2016 — Biogas is an important energy source that plays a central role in the energy revolution. Unlike wind or solar energy, biogas can be produced around the clock. Could it soon perhaps even be produced ... read more

Friday, March 25, 2016