MicrobeWorld

Researchers have developed a process for producing human sperm from stem cells. While both exciting and frightening at the same time, what does this mean for the future?

The research is being touted as a breakthrough in how we study and diagnose problems such as infertility and the effects t... Read More

Justin Mullins, a consultant editor, for The New Scientist has published a very interesting read that ties research by Japanese scientists on the "cognitive" abilities of the slime mold Physarum polycephalum to memristors, "a class of passive two-terminal circuit elements that maintain a functio... Read More

Here's an interesting and somewhat confusing new project that appears to have just launched. The Human Genre Project is "a collection of new writing in very short forms -- short stories, flash fictions, reflections, poems -- inspired by genes and genomics."

I've checked out the website that ... Read More

New research on the prevalence of "sin nombre" hantavirus in deer mice authored by Laurie J. Dizney and Luis A. Ruedas from Portland State University and published in the CDC's Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal suggests a diversity of animal species helps defend against the emergence of patho... Read More

The CDC has released new guidelines for moms concerned abouth whether they should breast feed their children if they have H1N1 or Swine Flu.

"Infants are thought to be at higher risk for severe illness from novel influenza A (H1N1) infection and very little is known about prevention of novel ... Read More

New research published in PLoS Medecine from the NIAID-funded Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology suggests that HIV-1 moves at breathtaking speed in destroying and de-regulating the body's gut-based B-cell antibody-producing system, resulting in a sober reality for hopeful vaccine hunters.

... Read More

Anand Pai, graduate student in bioengineering at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering, and scientist Lingchong You, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and a member of Duke’s Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy and Center for Systems Biology, have discovered what they believe is a com... Read More

With global health monitoring coming into vogue, more attention is being paid to the United States military's own influenza monitoring system, which has been operational since the 1970's. Read More

A virus that mixes human and swine influenza has infected two farm workers in Canada. Fortunately they have both recovered, but this represent a new strain of flu. Read More

Intestinal anthrax. Human case. Note edema of mucosa Read More

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin are looking at the combined genomes of ants, fungi and bacteria that are responsible for turning leaf clutter into compost. They hope to isolate new enzymes or identify techniques that could do the same to aid in biofuel production.

"The genomes ... Read More

This is an interesting documentary about superbugs, such as MRSA, antibiotic resistance and Russia's research into bacteriophage (viruses that attack bacteria) as a treatment for people with bacterial-related diseases. This video was produced in 1997 by the BBC, but despite the air date, ther... Read More

Since 1999, Artomatic, a one-of-a-kind multimedia event, involving hundreds of regional artists, performers and volunteers, in Washington, D.C. has been convening annually in the Washington, D.C., area. This past year artist Forrest McCluer culled together a series of sculptures constructed from... Read More

Biomedical innovations for rapid detection are really taking off... Cell sorting may get a lot faster with this chip. Read More

Bioinformatics, the application of computer analysis to molecular biology, is a fundamental corollary to biodefense research. As we face new security threats involving pathogens and infectious disease, bioinformatics databases must be improved and a plan must be made for integrating biodefense r... Read More

Virginia Campbell,MD, host of the Brain Science Podcast, has published a very interesting interview with Dr. Paul Offit, author of the book Autism’s False Prophets. In the interview, Campbell and Offit explore "the scientific evidence that vaccines DO NOT cause autism, but also examine why the c... Read More

It turns out that Bordetella hinzii (B. hinzii), a bacterium found in poultry with respiratory disease and once believed to be nonpathogenic in poultry, can actually cause disease.

"This study showed for the first time that some strains of B. hinzii can cause disease in turkeys." This was no... Read More

In episode 39 of This Week in Virology, hosts Vincent Racaniello and Dick Despommier discuss virus structure a... Read More

T4 bacteriophages targeting E. coli bacteria. Bacteriophages are small viruses that infect bacteria and kill them by multiplying and essentially filling the bacterial cell to bursting. This is a great animation. Read More

Perhaps you're a microbiology student with an interest in growing your library or maybe you are the author of one of these books! Or maybe you are just looking for a little "light" reading.

Check out the top titles in microbiology texts. Have you read one of these books in class and think it... Read More