MicrobeWorld

Google Knol is a website similar in idea to wikipedia in which it encourages experts to "share what they know and a write a knol." What's a knol? Well it's a unit of knowledge, of course! (Disclaimer: I had to look it up myself).

What's interesting is that the Public Library of Science is now... Read More

Here's one for backyard grill-meisters and food safety experts:

Recently the American Chemical Society, as part of its semiannual meeting, staged a chemistry-themed barbecue reception on August 17 for reporters and other guests. (Great idea for getting press coverage, BTW)

"Cooking is as ... Read More

In a sign of heightened concern that the upcoming flu season could be severe, top national and local health officials warned Wednesday that employers should brace for worker absences and cautioned the public that as many as three shots this season may be needed to protect against the H1N1 strain... Read More

In this article in the Huffington Post, Dr. Larry Dossey revisits the link between exposure to the microbes in dirt and self-reported happiness. Bacteria commonly found in soil, Mycobacterium vaccae, have proved to stimulate the same areas of the brain as common antidepressants, such as Prozac. Read More

Scientists have used a new vaccine production technology to develop a vaccine for norovirus, a dreaded cause of diarrhea and vomiting that may be the second most common viral infection in the United States after the flu. Sometimes called the "cruise ship virus," this microbe can spread like wild... Read More

Engineers at Ohio State University have found a way to double the production of the biofuel butanol, which might someday replace gasoline in automobiles.

The process improves on the conventional method for brewing butanol in a bacterial fermentation tank.

Normally, bacteria could only prod... Read More

Que es el SAR 11?
Entre las muchas bacterias del océano, se encuentra el mas numeroso y el mas pequeño.  Este microorganismo usa una fuente alterna de energía al sol; usa una pr... Read More

L.A. health officials have warned the public about eating Latin American-style cheese from unlicensed makers, whose products could be contaminated.

At issue are cheeses such as queso fresco, panela, queso seco, asadero, queso Oaxaca, queso Cotija, and crema, which may be made with unpasteuriz... Read More

Immunology researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that bacteria present in the human gut help initiate the body's defense mechanisms against Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis is generally a mild infection, but it can have serious an... Read More

In a presentation to the American Chemical Society meeting, Ankit Agarwal, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, described an experimental approach to wound healing that could take advantage of silver's anti-bacterial properties, while sidestepping the damage silver c... Read More

ABRCMS is the largest, professional conference for biomedical and behavioral students attracting approximately 2,900 individuals, including 1,800 students and 1,100 faculty and administrators. The conference is designed to encourage students to pursue advanced training in the biomedical and beha... Read More

According to a new report by Dr. Carlos Grijalva of Vanderbilt University, fewer US patients are receiving inappropriate antibiotics for coughs, colds, and other illnesses that do not benefit from antibiotic treatment.

Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Grijalva ... Read More

A specific protein on the surface of a common bacterial pathogen allows the bacteria to leave the bloodstream and enter the brain, initiating the deadly infection known as meningitis. The new finding, which may guide development of improved vaccines to protect those most vulnerable, including yo... Read More

James Staley, Ph.D., suggests the phylogenomic species concept, which combines phylogenetic and genomic analyses, can be used to circumscribe species:

"Bacteriologists have not yet adopted a concept for a species. Bacterial and archaeal species are defined on the basis of phenotypic propertie... Read More

Dr. Mike Leahy is a Virologist and an adventure junkie. Now he has his own show called Bite Me where he combines his work with his passions which leads to one very scary outcome, "up-close-and-personal encounters with Earth's most dangerous creatures."

Check out the show on the Travel Channel... Read More

The death of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 35 may have been caused by complications stemming from strep throat, according to a Dutch study published on Monday. Since the composer's death in 1791, there have been various theories about the cause of his untimely end, from intentio... Read More

It appears that bacteria can squeeze through practically anything. In extremely small nanoslits they take on a completely new flat shape. Even in this squashed form they continue to grow and divide at normal speeds. This has been demonstrated by research carried out at TU Delft's Kavli Institute... Read More

Life in the fruit bowl is no longer the pits, thanks to a University of Alberta researcher.

In research published in the latest Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researcher Christina Engels describes how the pure tannins that can be extracted from the otherwise-useless mango kernel... Read More

One group of scientists reported a major advance toward that goal at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). They described the first successful method of producing the active ingredients in Devil's claw — ingredients that have made the Devil's claw a sensation in alte... Read More

The U.S. won't have nearly as much swine flu vaccine ready by mid-October as long predicted — 45 million doses instead of the anticipated 120 million, a federal official said Monday.

It's not a shortage but a delay, Health and Human Services spokesman Bill Hall said. More will arrive rapidly ... Read More