MicrobeWorld

In this two-part activity, which uses discovery and an inquiry approach, the participants will be given cartoon drawings representing significant events in the history of the Earth and asked to place them on a timeline made of colored ribbon. Then they mathematically relate the geologic time sca... Read More

Oral Microbiology is an important emerging field of study. This article is from the Journal of Oral Microbiology (www.JournalofOralMicrobiology.net). All users are granted free access to the article under a Creative Commons License. In this article Lakio et al. investiate the possibility of usin... Read More

The blog www.ncbirofl.com is a great resource for amusing/interesting research papers that have been published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information's website. This week they highlight a paper on the regional differences in the metagenomic data of eukaryotes found in "bug splat."
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A team of researchers from The Wistar Institute has identified a protein that could serve as a target for reprogramming immune system cells exhausted by exposure to chronic viral infection into more effective "soldiers" against certain viruses like HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B, as well as s... Read More

Scientists in Massachusetts are describing successful use of a test that enlists pinhead-sized worms in efforts to discover badly needed new antibiotics. Thestudy appears in ACS' Chemical Biology.

From the abstract:

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a unique whole animal model system ... Read More

In this activity, each student is provided with a worksheet and three index cards. Each card indicates a different cell part (e.g. LPS, capsule, DNA). Students are placed in small groups and receive a written scenario regarding a bacterium with a certain goal it must carry out. They must work t... Read More

This teleconference is sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology and will review the history and importance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with a primary focus on the emergence of community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). The phenotypic and molecular identification of ... Read More

A recent study published earlier this week from Washington State University suggests Nosema ceranae, a unicellular parasite, and pesticides embedded in old honeycombs are two major contributors to the bee disease known as colony collapse disorder. Now, the first descriptive epizootiological surv... Read More

Scientists studying Staphylococcus bacteria, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), have discovered a potent staph toxin responsible for disease severity. They also found the gene for the toxin traveling with a genetic component of Staphylococcus that controls resistance to antibiotic... Read More

The Scrub Club created by NSF International is designed for children who are 3 to 8 years of age. The web site is a fun, interactive and educational resource that teaches children about the microbes that make them sick and the proper way to wash their hands. The site is a hodgepodge of fun flash... Read More

Interfering with communication among bacteria can prevent them from mounting a unified and perhaps deadly assault on their host organism, research by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigators shows. The finding suggests a different kind of medicine that could be less likely than tradi... Read More

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A new study in PLoS suggests that positive tests for Henipaviruses in African Straw-colored fruit bats in Ghana may indicate that one of the most pathogenic virus genera known in humans that is usually found in Australia and Asia may also be endemic in Africa.

PloS Abstract:

Henipaviruses... Read More

Interview with Makio Iwashima, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology on the function of T cells in the immune system. This is a concise three-minute explanation with excellent visuals. Great for the classroom. Read More

This blog posting has links to 100 lectures by notable scientists in the areas of biology and medicine, earth and environment and much more. It says, "thanks to the Internet, and our list of 100 incredible lectures, you’ve now got access to the cutting edge theories and projects that are changin... Read More

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute have for the first time produced a malarial protein (Pfs48/45) in the proper conformation and quantity to generate a significant immune response in mice and non-human primates for use in a potential transmission-blocking vaccine. Antibo... Read More

Researchers from Canada and India have published a thorough paper in the American Chemical Society’s bi-monthly journal Industrial Engineering & Chemical Research on various approaches, challenges and benefits of “milking” oil from single-cell algae known as diatoms.

"In this communication, ... Read More

Want to be a host mentor? Your influence can have a wonderful impact on a minority science student. The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) seeks partnership with research mentors at research intensive institutions to leverage support of the fellowship program. The research mentor must be an... Read More

A new DNA vaccine inhibited malignant melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, in mice by eliciting antibodies that target a gastrin-releasing peptide which is known to play a key role in cancer development. The researchers from China and the U.S. report their findings in the July 2009 issue of t... Read More

A new study suggests that some contact lens solutions do not properly disinfect against Acanthamoeba, a free-living organism in the environment that can cause a painful vision-threatening infection. The researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Service, and t... Read More