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75 people were hospitalized after eating lettuce — and it's linked to climate change

While foodborne outbreaks are not uncommon, this case uniquely exposed deeper issues about the role of climate change in public health risks.

Silver nanoparticles change shape and get 'consumed' when destroying bacteria

We're getting new insight into how this metal acts against pathogens.

New approach neutralizes influenza with modified bacteria predator membranes

The team is currently working on adapting it for use against the coronavirus.

E. coli superbugs linked to poor hygiene and not contaminated food

E. coli may cause food poisoning, urinary tract infections, or intestinal infections.

Researchers create bacteria synthetic DNA

Move away, Nature -- come in, Life 2.0.

Some bacteria can 'hibernate' through antibiotic treatments, new paper finds

When in doubt, hibernate.

British surfers are more prone to be antibiotic resistant bacteria carriers

A new study shows that surfers are three times more likely to harbor very resistant types of E. coli. 

DNA just got a major update, with readable synthetic nucleotides

Half-synthetic life isn't sci-fi any longer.

Bacteria shapeshift in space in response to antibiotics, becoming far more resilient

Not good news for interplanetary travel.

For the first time, researchers create "semi-synthetic" life form with man-made DNA

Some of your bases are belong to us.

Scientists coax bacteria towards silicon-based life

Silly bacteria, carbon-based life is best life!

Scientists film bacteria becoming virtually drug-immune -- and it took them only 10 days

A fascinating glimpse at how life overcomes adversity.

Untreatable bacteria identified in the US

A strain of E. coli resistant to last-resort antibiotics has been identified on United States soil for the first time. Health officials say this could be the end of the road for antibiotics, leaving us virtually helpless in fighting future infections.

Scientists engineer first living organism with unnatural DNA

The entire living world is “written” with just four DNA bases: A = adenine C = cytosine G = guanine T = thymine However, for the first time, researchers have now created a living cell with an added pair of DNA “letters,” or bases, not found in nature – the DNA alphabet just got some new letters! “Life on Earth […]

Device identifies and sorts bad germs from the good ones in minutes, instead of days

Your gut is home to some 100 trillion bacteria – more than the entire number of cells in the whole human body. Clearly, bacteria are fond of human intestines, as we humans, unknowingly or not, are fond of them. After all, without bacteria our organisms would be deprived of extremely vital vitamin sources and digestion […]

Researcher finds new immune system in mucus

Think about mucus – what comes to mind? It’s slimy, it’s gross, no one really likes it, right? Well, as a team from San Diego State University showed, mucus is also home to a very powerful immune system that has the possibility to change the way doctors treat a number of diseases. Bacteriophages are basically […]

Is evolution predictable? Research shows specialization isn't that special after all

There are millions of species on Earth, and naturally understanding the mechanics of evolution is of great importance for understanding further on what sparks life. What sparks consciousness, well that’s a whole different ball-game. Currently, scientists are concentrating on how diversification occurs in order to better their knowledge of how so many species surfaced along […]

Bacteria replicate close to the limit of thermodynamic efficiency

We often like to think us humans have achieved a remarkable standard of efficiency and development – but a look at the animal life around us is often enough to humble us. Replicating bacteria and physics The common gut bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli, in short) typically takes about 20 minutes to duplicate itself in […]

Virus mutations shows natural selection theory at its best

Darwin’s theory of natural selection illustrates perfectly what evolution is all about, the survival of the fittest if you will. It’s because of natural selection that a crocodile has an armor-like skin to protect it against enemies, a chameleon can change its color and camouflage itself for protection and hunting or humans evolved a more […]

Transistor gates created out of E. Coli bacteria - huge biocomputing leap forward!

Scientists at London’s Imperial College have successfully managed to create biological logic gates, indispensible for the production of electronical devices, simply our of bacteria and DNA. Though the research detailed in a recently published study in the journal Nature Communications was anything but simple, it provides an incredible advancement in the field of biotechnology. “Logic […]

New DNA sequencing device could decode your genome for just $1000

News of a low-cost semiconductor-based gene sequencing machine has been reported this Wednesday in the journal Nature, by a team led by Jonathan Rothberg. The astonishing advancement might lead to a age of personal human genome sequence, where people will be able to decipher their own DNA for as low as $1000. The human genome was […]

Bacteria lives at extreme gravitational forces

We already know about numerous extremophiles, microbes that can live in incredibly extreme conditions, which would easily kill almost every other creature. There are bacteria which survive in extremely high or low temperatures, in substances with an extreme pH, surrounded by nothing but solid rock, in the depths of the ocean, and so on. But […]