Microbiology

Migration between different communities of bacteria is the key to the type of gene transfer that can lead to the spread of traits such as antibiotic resistance, according to researchers. While…

Prairie gardens offer Midwestern suburban dwellers an alternative option to the traditional grass lawn. Their combination of native grasses, like tall and wispy bluestem and sideoats, and forbs, such…

The hepatitis A virus can trigger acute liver inflammation which generally has a mild course in small children but which can become dangerous in adults. The virus, which is found worldwide, has…

We are often told how bad it is to keep sitting at the computer, but one good outcome at least is how some much interesting science news comes one’s way.  One item dated 19 October 2015 from…

Testudinid herpesvirus 3 ( TeHV-3) is a herpes virus causing high mortality rates in several protected species of tortoises (including Hermann’s tortoise). Until now, the 250 or so herpes viruses…

Understanding of methane-metabolizing organisms might have to be rethought after researchers announced discovery of two new ones.  The discovery of the novel methane-metabolizing microorganisms…

Scientists engineered stem cells to better understand the mechanisms behind a form of leukemia caused by changes in a key gene. Past work had established that inherited changes in the DNA code for…

The naturally occurring bacteria on a frog's skin could be the most important tool for helping the animal fight off a deadly skin disease, according to an experiment conducted by Virginia Tech…

Humans have been breeding crops until they're bigger and more nutritious since the early days of agriculture, but genetic manipulation isn't the only way to give plants a boost. In a review paper,…

A new analysis leads the authors to advance the belief that viruses are living entities that share a long evolutionary history with cells, based on a method for tracing viral evolution back to a time…