Microbiology

Corpse Microorganisms Help Forensic Investigators

A preliminary study on the application of thermo-microbiology and its relation to time of death has been released by Professor Isabel Corcobado and colleagues at the University of Granada.  The ultimate goal of this project is to use a microbiological indi ...

Article - Hayley Mann - Mar 13 2009 - 1:35pm

"Gut"- Clinical Trial Says Special Yogurt Fights Stomach Ulcer Bacteria

Results of the first human clinical studies confirm that a new yogurt fights the bacteria that cause gastritis and stomach ulcers with what researchers describe as almost vaccine-like effects, according to scientists at the 237th National Meeting of the A ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 22 2009 - 1:01pm

Yeast Study Links Sugar Production To Life Span Longevity

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a new energy-making biochemical twist in determining the lifespan of yeast cells, one so valuable to longevity that it is likely to also functions in humans.  Their findings, published in the March 20 issue of Cell ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 24 2009 - 9:37am

Rhythmic Genomics- The Yeast Metronome And The Walk Of Life In Nature's Oldest Clock

New genome sequence information from the humble baker's yeast has revealed surprising variation in a set of genes that can be thought of as nature's oldest clock. In a paper published in Genome Research scientists show how ribosomal RNA genes tha ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 7 2009 - 9:36am

DNA Self-Assembly, But With A Plan, Using 'Origami Seeds'

Complex objects like automobiles and birthday cakes are created using a 'top down' process; the structure is imposed from the outside.    When things grow using order imposed from within, like biological objects, it is called a bottom-up approach ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 8 2009 - 8:50pm

In The Works- A Natural Biological Pacemaker

A natural, biological pacemaker; that's what a heart is, right?  Sure, but our hearts can wear out and while artificial heart pacemakers have saved and extended the lives of thousands of people, but they have their shortcomings – such as a fixed pulse ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 9 2009 - 10:46am

Blood Falls- Microbes Have Thrived In Antarctic Cold And Darkness While Lacking Air For A Million Years

An unmapped reservoir of briny liquid chemically similar to sea water, but buried under an inland Antarctic glacier, appears to support unusual microbial life in a place where cold, darkness and lack of oxygen would previously have led scientists to believ ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 16 2009 - 4:30pm

What Blood Falls Bacteria And The Amish Can Teach Us About Model Ecosystems

When want to understand something complex, we make something similar but simpler- a model.  Models in engineering re-imagine complex structures as sticks, strings, and hinges.  Biology uses simpler living systems, like yeast and mice.  But plenty of scient ...

Article - Stephanie Pulford - Apr 20 2009 - 1:46pm

Cystic Fibrosis- Hunt Militant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa In Their Bases On Germ Surface

Want to hunt down enemy bacteria?   Look at the sugars on the germs' surface where they start building a 'structure' that helps the microbes resist efforts to kill them. Scientists have determined that the bacterial cell-surface sugar, a pol ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 21 2009 - 11:12am

Stem Cells From Adipose Fat Tissue May Mean Hope For Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

A preliminary study on the use of stem cells obtained from a patient's own adipose tissue in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) has shown promising results. The three case studies, described in BioMed Central's open access Journal of Transl ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 24 2009 - 6:07pm