Microbiology, features and articles | Educational Science

Jun 30, 2015

'Hacking' Gut Bacteria Could Spur New Medical Treatments

Faintly glowing mouse droppings are now evidence that one of the most common microbes in the human gut can be easily hacked, or genetically modified, researchers say. The finding means that the microbe could one day be used in making medicines or detecting diseases, the researchers said. Of the 100...

Aug 31, 2018

Woman's Swollen Pinkie Finger Was Rare Sign of Tuberculosis

A swollen finger is often the symptom of a simple sprain, but for one woman in California, a puffy pinkie was a rare sign of tuberculosis, according to a new report of the case. The 42-year-old woman went to the doctor after a week of swelling and pain in her...

Feb 28, 2019

Ancient Microbes Ate Each Other's Corpses to Survive Beneath the Dead Sea

On its salty surface, the Dead Sea is famous for making giddy tourists float like beach balls. Hundreds of feet below the water, however, life is a little less fun. There, choked by some of the saltiest water on Earth, single-celled microorganisms called archaea struggle to carry out life's basic...

Oct 21, 2015

In Photos: The Microbe Masterpieces of the 2015 Agar Art Competition

If you don't think bacteria are beautiful, think again. This year's Agar Art Contest, an annual competition hosted by the American Society for Microbiology, is the source of some true microbe masterpieces. For the contest, microbiologists and artists paint strands of bacteria on agar, a gelatinous substance used to make...

Oct 22, 2015

Microbe Masterpieces: Scientists Create Cool Art from Bacteria

What do Vincent van Gogh's painting The Starry Night, a map of New York City and a countryside harvest landscape have in common? Perhaps not much, but all of these images can be re-created by growing colorful microbes in petri dishes — and they were for this year's Agar Art...

Nov 6, 2015

Get a Whiff of This: Man Hasn't Showered in 12 Years

It's a staple of the modern morning routine: Wake up, hop in the shower, lather with soap. But is that morning scrub-a-dub really necessary? One man claims not. David Whitlock, a chemical engineer in Boston, has not showered for 12 years. Whitlock isn't running an experiment in extreme water conservation....

Nov 7, 2015

Meet Your Microbes: Museum Exhibit Reveals a 'Secret World'

NEW YORK — Any time we look in the mirror, we spot many different features that make us, us. But there's one feature that's deeply important to who we are that can't be seen on the surface: the microbiome, the diverse and extraordinarily large community of microbes that call our...

Nov 24, 2015

Slipping into a Food Coma? Blame Your Gut Microbes

When you push away your plate, loosen your belt and announce, I couldn't manage another bite! it may be your gut microbes talking, according to a new study. Researchers found chemical clues hinting that, when certain bacteria in the belly have had enough to eat, they tell the brain that...

Feb 10, 2016

Bacterial Slime Acts As Teensy Eyeball

Slimy microbes called cyanobacteria use their teensy bodies as lenses to collect light and see, before growing little legs to inch toward those rays, new research suggests. That means the basic workings of these miniature light collectors may not be so different from those of cameras or the human eye,...

Feb 16, 2016

'Good' Bacteria Lacking in City Homes

People who live cities may have less exposure to certain good bacteria that promote health, a new study suggests. The researchers found that homes in urban areas in South America tended to have lower levels of certain microbes commonly found in the environment, compared with homes in rural areas. These...

Mar 10, 2016

Plastic-Munching Bacteria Can Make Trash Biodegradable

A durable plastic called PET is considered a major environmental hazard because it's highly resistant to breakdown. But researchers have found a potential new match for this hardy plastic: a newly discovered microbe that is astonishingly good at eating it. An estimated 342 million tons (311 metric tons) of plastic...

Mar 28, 2016

How Dirty Are Public Restrooms, Really?

Ah, spring — time to get out of the house and be on the go. But when you're out and really have to, you know, go, is that rest-stop bathroom the place to do it? Yep. Public toilets might get a little grimy, but they're very unlikely to pose any...

Nov 10, 2016

Red Squirrels Harbor Leprosy-Causing Bacteria

Researchers were intrigued by an increasing number of sores on red squirrels in the United Kingdom and Ireland, so they decided to run tests on the animals to find out what was causing these mysterious marks. After investigating, they now say they have found the cause: Some squirrels harbor the...

Nov 21, 2016

Forget Politics: 7 Wacky Science Stories to Talk About This Thanksgiving

A heated election season is turning into a complicated transition as Donald Trump prepares to assume the U.S. presidency. The national mood is not conducive to peace and harmony around the Thanksgiving table, to say the least. Some families will be able to discuss these political upheavals productively. Others will...

Dec 21, 2016

What Are Biofilms?

Biofilms are a collective of one or more types of microorganisms that can grow on many different surfaces. Microorganisms that form biofilms include bacteria, fungi and protists. One common example of a biofilm dental plaque, a slimy buildup of bacteria that forms on the surfaces of teeth. Pond scum is...