Microbiology

Warmer Temperatures Alter ‘Missing Link’ Of Microbial Processes In Peat Moss

If you’re a gardener, you may use peat moss- decomposed Sphagnum moss- in soil because it helps retain moisture.  Peatlands, wetlands characterized by a thick layer of water-saturated, carbon-rich peat beneath living Sphagnum moss, trees, and other plant l ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 3 2023 - 2:56pm

Britain's Bubonic Plague Of 2000 BC

Two cases of Yersinia pestis in human remains found in a mass burial in Charterhouse Warren in Somerset and one in a ring cairn monument in Levens in Cumbria show that the Plague may have erupted a few times in severe form across Europe, and it was even in ...

Article - News Staff - May 30 2023 - 1:04pm

Your Poop Is Alive. Here's What's In It

If you’ve ever thought your poo is just a bunch of dead cells, think again. Most of it is alive, teeming with billions of microbes. Here’s what studies in healthy adults reveal makes up our poo. Water Our feces is largely (75%) made up of water, although ...

Article - The Conversation - Dec 29 2023 - 2:37pm

Wages Of Sin- The 21st Century Nexus Of Bioweapons And Biotechnology

In only a few weeks, a shift in the world’s disposition caused the human race to fall flat on its face. An unswerving virus named SARS-CoV-2 crippled the 21st century’s roaring socioeconomic infrastructure, creating a doomsday scenario.  The resulting dise ...

Article - Safa Mariyam - Apr 19 2024 - 11:41am

Wuhan Seafood Market: Evidence Of COVID-19 Origins Revealed

When COVID-19 broke out, it was a US election year and that meant a lot of common sense gave way to politics. Democrats charged that then-President Trump was putting lives at risk by telling FDA to fast-track a vaccine, after insisting that closing airport ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Sep 19 2024 - 2:36pm

For St. Patrick's Day, Craft Beer Chemistry

It's been around for centuries but it seems like beer has never been more popular. Microbreweries are cranking out special stouts, IPAs, lagers and pilsners. And the flavors and aromas of each of those brews all come down to chemistry. This week, in ...

Blog Post - News Staff - Jan 8 2025 - 7:30pm

New Bacteria Optimization Could Boost Nitrogen-Fixing In Corn

Soybeans greatly benefit from nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which reduces the need for fertilizer, and a new study shows that gene-edited bacteria can supply the equivalent of 35 pounds of nitrogen from the air during early corn growth as well.  Agricultural s ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 20 2025 - 2:29pm

Vaccinate Plants Against Insects And Disease

Science is always looking for new ways to protect plants and the environment. In Hawaii, for example, when their staple papaya was under attack by aphids that transferred the "papaya ringspot virus" to plants, legacy breeding and pesticides did n ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jan 24 2025 - 5:00am

H5N1: Raw Milk And Raw Pet Food Are Unsafe But Raw Cheese Aged 60 Days Is 87% Not Killing You

The only real way to wipe out H5N1, the bird flu that has been ruining egg prices since last year, is to kill off all the wild birds. That is not practical but what we can do is stop buying raw pet food. All of it. Now. And never start again. You will kill ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Mar 14 2025 - 2:15pm

Raman Spectroscopy Makes Saliva A Good Way To Detect Cancer

A few drops of saliva can now reveal what used to require a scalpel, a syringe or a scan. Scientists have developed ways to analyze spit for the tiniest traces of illness – from mouth cancer to diabetes, and even brain diseases like Alzheimer’s. Unlike bl ...

Article - The Conversation - May 10 2025 - 4:30am