From recycling to food: Can we eat plastic-munching microbes?
Olga Pankova/Moment via Getty Images In 2019, an agency within the US Department of Defense released a call for research projects to help the military deal with the copious amount of plastic waste generated when troops are sent to work in remote locations or disaster zones. The agency wanted a system that could convert food…
Your gut microbes may influence how you handle stress
An illustration of the human microbiome. The bacteria in our gut may influence our mental health, research finds. MEHAU KULYK/Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF hide caption toggle caption MEHAU KULYK/Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF The gut microbiome -- the ecosystem of tiny organisms inside us all -- has emerged as fertile new territory for studying…
Scientists identify “universal network” of microbes for decomposing flesh
Enlarge / It's tough to precisely determine cause of death in a corpse. Microbes found on decomposing flesh can help. Establishing a precise time of death (the postmortem interval, or PMI) upon discovery of a corpse is notoriously challenging, however easy fictional medical examiners might make it seem. Some forensic scientists use the life cycle…
Bird flu viruses may pack tools that help them infect human...
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Researchers explored pitch-black pits in Yucatán’s labyrinthine underwater caves to unlock...
The Yucatán Peninsula's underwater caves cover over 900 miles.Its cenotes, or sinkholes, are an important drinking water resource for the region.Researchers mapped unique communities of microbes in a dozen areas of the cave system. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go.…
Evolutionary virologist Daniel Blanco-Melo seeks out ancient pathogens
Smallpox, measles, mumps. These are among the contagious diseases that European colonists likely brought to the Americas at the turn of the 16th century, prompting the collapse of Indigenous populations. But the exact viruses that caused the millions of deaths remain unknown. Daniel Blanco-Melo seeks to solve that historical puzzle. An evolutionary virologist at the…
Watch: Recent microbial discoveries are changing our view of life on...
Gumdrop with an earring. That’s what pops to mind when I look at Sebastian Hess’ photos of a kind of plump, violent, single-celled creature he collected from a pond rich in sphagnum moss in southern Germany. The shape-shifting amoebozoan cell, prowling for algal cells to attack, curls its long strand of a flagellum into an…
How hardworking microbes ferment cabbage into kimchi
Ingredients, temperature, time all affect the microbial activity that fuels fermentation — and how fermented foods taste. As kimchi ferments, the flavors will change over time. Meredith Rizzo for NPR hide caption toggle caption Meredith Rizzo for NPR Ingredients, temperature, time all affect the microbial activity that fuels fermentation — and how fermented foods taste.…
NASA scientist says there could be microbial life hiding in dark...
A NASA planetary scientist said conditions on the lunar south pole could be ripe for microbial life. Researchers have found that certain microbes on Earth can withstand extreme conditions. These microbes may have hitched a ride on a lunar lander and are now living on the moon. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up!…
Some ‘friendly’ bacteria backstab their algal pals. Now we know why
The photosynthesizing plankton Emiliania huxleyi has a dramatic relationship with its bacterial frenemies. These duplicitous bugs help E. huxleyi in exchange for nutrients until it becomes more convenient to murder and eat their hosts. Now, scientists have figured out how these treacherous bacteria decide to turn from friend to foe. One species of these bacteria…
