MicrobeWorld

The most recent issue of Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science has a great interview with John Barry, historian and author of "The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague In History." The interview discusses his book, it's impact on pandemic pol... Read More

Bacterial parasites known to infect cell nuclei are often assumed to be few and far between. But, recent research from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Symbiosis Group, in Bremen, Germany, describes a novel bacterial parasite named "Candidatus Endonucleobacter bathymodioli" th... Read More

A species of bacteria, isolated from sediments deep under the Pacific Ocean, could provide a powerful clean-up tool for heavy metal pollution. Writing in the current issue of the journal, Microbiology, Professor Gejiao Wang and his colleagues from Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, PR Ch... Read More

Scientists around the world are accelerating their efforts to develop a vaccine against the H1N1 influenza virus (Swine flu) as rapidly as possible, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN). The need for such a vaccine received a strong impetus from the World Health Organization, w... Read More

mycoplasma arthritidis. Light micrograph. Crystal violet methylene blue strain. Note colonial morphology and classic 'fired-egg' appearance of isolated colony after approximately 10 days worth of growth on agar Read More

Could mermaids have anything to do with this?

Exposure to estrogen reduces production of immune-related proteins in fish. This suggests that certain compounds, known as endocrine disruptors, may make fish more susceptible to disease.

The research may provide new clues for why intersex fish... Read More

Mycobacterium Xenopi. One Colony of each of three different strains Read More

Nature has just published a news special on microscopes and microscopy. Most of the associated articles are pay-per-view but the slideshow of images is free to check out. Click the source link above. Read More

The sea floor is strewn with raw materials that could be very important in the future: Manganese and iron, but also rarer and more precious elements such as cobalt, copper, zinc and nickel, are present in great quantities in the form of deep-sea nodules and crusts. The depositions of such materi... Read More

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Another video by AJ Cann. This one is of Acanthamoeba polyphaga. Acanthamoeba is a family of amoebae, one of the most common protozoa in soil, and also frequently found in fresh water and other habitats. Interestingly, findings from the University of Bath demonstrate t... Read More

A very interesting blog post over on the Nature Network by editor Henry Gee that's sparking lots of comments and debate.

"The Man is now so worried about the decline in take-up of the MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella) vaccine that some clinicians are suggesting they be made compulsory – that no chi... Read More

Research presented by Reid Harris, Department of Biology, James Madison University, at the American Society for Microbiology's General Meeting in Philadelphia provides hope for the world's declining frog population.

"Many amphibian species in relatively pristine habitats are experiencing dram... Read More

This is from NSF's Science Nation videocast program.

The search is on for extremophiles, living things that thrive where life would seem to be impossible -- from the glaciers of the Alaskan arctic, to the ice sheets of Antarctica, that may provide insights about life elsewhere in cosmos. Read More

From Harvard Medical School:

Using the zebrafish as an animal model, researchers have discovered that the body uses hydrogen peroxide to sound the alarm when a tissue has been injured. As a direct result of this hydrogen-peroxide red alert, white blood cells come to the aid of the wounded sit... Read More

This is not good news!

"Healthcare workers will desert their posts in droves in a pandemic, unless the safety and psychological issues they face are addressed. So say surveys of doctors, nurses and other staff, such as lab techs, secretaries and porters, from around the world.

The worst p... Read More

Exposure to estrogen reduces production of immune-related proteins in fish. This suggests that certain compounds, known as endocrine disruptors, may make fish more susceptible to disease.

The research may provide new clues for why intersex fish, fish kills and fish lesions often occur togethe... Read More

This comes out of Texas A&M:

"Researchers at Texas A&M University’s Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering have discovered how certain types of bacteria integrate the DNA that they have captured from invading enemies into their own genetic makeup to increase their chances of surviv... Read More

The 2009 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Eli Lilly and Company Research Award is being presented to Joseph L. DeRisi, Ph.D., Howard Hughes Medical Investigator and professor, Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. This award ... Read More

The endless possibilities of genetically engineering microbes never cease to amaze me.

"A company called Genomatica, based in San Diego, says that it can make the key ingredient in spandex from sugar, and do so at a cost that competes with current chemical processes, which use fossil fuels. ... Read More

Acid fast colony (triple stain) in blood culture of a patient with untreated pulminary tuberculosis Read More