Microbiology

How Did Science Determine The Body Was Osama Bin Laden? PCR

With Osama Bin Laden dead, conspiracy theorists will find a way to say it isn't him at all.   Sure, a 6'4" thin guy can be replaced by decoys rather easily but science has come a long way since the September 11th, 2001 attacks that took Bin ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Sep 15 2011 - 11:38am

Dynamic Microbial Life Inside Earth's Crust

The first observatory experiment to study the dynamic microbial life inside Earth's crust has just been completed.   During the four-year subsurface experiment, the research team deployed the first in situ experimental microbial observatory systems be ...

Article - News Staff - May 3 2011 - 9:09am

DNA Sequencing Says New Hybrid E. Coli Strain Is Cause Of German Outbreak

Preliminary data from DNA sequencing performed in cooperation with the University Hospital Muenster, Germany, on the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM) strongly suggests that the bacterium at the root of the deadly outbreak in Germany is a new hybrid type ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 2 2011 - 10:32am

Pseudomonas Putida CBB5- Bacteria That Can Live On Caffeine

Think you can't live without caffeine?  Some bacteria can live on caffeine.   Previous studies discovered caffeine-degrading bacteria, but new research one goes a step further and identifies four bacteria that can live on the compound.    One of them, ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 7 2011 - 2:08pm

Killer sprouts?

While shopping earlier today, I came across these:   Many of you will, I expect, have heard of the recent E.Coli outbreak in Germany.  Today, we learn from BBC news German tests link bean sprouts to deadly E. coli New data released in Germany strongly sugg ...

Blog Post - Robert H Olley - Jun 10 2011 - 9:32am

Living Lasers

Lasers (acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) were invented roughly half a century ago, and in that time, they have found their way to industry, medicine, all kinds of research, consumer electronics, and much more. Pervading ...

Article - Gunnar De Winter - Jun 14 2011 - 2:56pm

Belly Button Biology

Our own body is covered with entire (albeit tiny) ecosystems. Incredible numbers of bacterial strains live in and on the human body. And the belly button seems to be a place extraordinarily rich in bacterial passengers. The Belly Button Biodiversity Proje ...

Article - Gunnar De Winter - Jul 1 2011 - 5:35am

Cookiecutter Sharks Pretend To Be Squid

More bizarre news out of Florida. What do you think this has in common with this? If you answered, "they both look really disturbing," then I can't disagree. But the more pertinent answer is that both the cookiecutter shark (top) and the squ ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Jul 6 2011 - 7:48pm

Healthy Mice From Lab-Grown Sperm Cells

Creating sperm or egg cells in the laboratory has been tried several times in the past few years. The reasons for this range from a better understanding of the fundamentals of the reproductive process, to helping infertile couples with their child-wish. T ...

Article - Gunnar De Winter - Aug 7 2011 - 6:35am

Hydrogen-Powered Bacteria Discovered In Mussels

Researchers searching for new ways to make hydrogen a viable part of our energy future have a new place to look; a natural example of a living hydrogen-powered 'fuel cell'. During a recent expedition to hydrothermal vents in the deep sea, resear ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 10 2011 - 7:33pm