Miniature devices made from intricately folded DNA strings can boost the potency of antibacterial chemicals by bringing individual molecules into direct contact with the microbes Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2227371-tiny-machines-made-of-dna-origami-may-make-antibiotics-work-better/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: microbes
Should SpaceX be allowed to contaminate Mars with Earth microbes?
The rise of the private space industry may mean allowing Earth microbes to escape to other worlds, but is it worth the risk? Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24432605-800-should-spacex-be-allowed-to-contaminate-mars-with-earth-microbes/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Meet the microorganism that likes to eat meteorites
At least one type of microbe on Earth not only likes to eat meteorites but actually prefers them as a food source, according to a new international scientific study. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/microorganism-m-sedula-likes-to-eat-meteorites…
Genetically-Engineered Microbe No Longer Needs to Eat Food To Grow
“Synthetic biologists have performed a biochemical switcheroo,” reports Science magazine: They’ve re-engineered a bacterium that normally eats a diet of simple sugars into one that builds its cells by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2), much like plants. The work could lead to engineered microbes that suck CO2 out of the air and turn it into medicines and other high-value compounds. “The implications…
Gut microbes may predict whether exercising will prevent diabetes
Exercising helps some people avoid developing diabetes but not others, and we may now know why: it could be down to features of the human gut microbiome Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2224911-gut-microbes-may-predict-whether-exercising-will-prevent-diabetes/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
These Two Drug-Resistant Microbes Are New ‘Urgent Threats’ to Americans’ Health
A new report reveals that drug-resistant germs infect and kill more people than previous estimates suggested. Source: https://www.livescience.com/antibiotic-drug-resistance-infection-urgent-threats-cdc.html
Why the hunt for alien life is under way far beneath Earth’s surface
Microbes that breathe sulphur could redefine what it means to be alive and provide clues about what organisms may lurk in the cosmos Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24432560-800-why-the-hunt-for-alien-life-is-under-way-far-beneath-earths-surface/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Some microbes eat electricity
Scientists have discovered that certain microbes get energy from electrical charges. What’s more, it turns out that these microbes are very common. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/bacteria-microbes-eat-electricity-electons-video…
Did ancient Earth life escape our solar system?
You’ve heard of panspermia, the idea that life exists throughout space and was carried to Earth by comets? What if the reverse occurred, with microbes on Earth ejected into space by asteroid impacts, escaping into the solar system billions of years ago? Source: https://earthsky.org/space/microbes-from-earth-escape-solar-system-asteroid-impact-panspermia…
Gut microbes help mice overcome their fears by changing brain activity
Mice without healthy gut bacteria have a hard time moving on from fearful situations, adding to evidence that the microbiome influences how the mammalian brain works Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2221022-gut-microbes-help-mice-overcome-their-fears-by-changing-brain-activity/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…