Tag: microbiology

A Scientific Meeting on Coronaviruses Was Cancelled Due To Coronavirus

The latest event to be cancelled as a result of the spread of the novel coronavirus is, ironically, a scientific meeting on coronaviruses. From a report: On March 9, the official meeting of the International Nidovirus Symposium, was postponed to 2021. The meeting, which happens only once every three years, was set to take place this May 10 to 14 in…

Second Person Cured of HIV Is Still Free of Active Virus Two Years On

An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNN: The second person ever to be cured of HIV is still free of active virus more than two years on, a study published by medical journal The Lancet HIV revealed on Tuesday. Two and a half years ago, Adam Castillejo — previously identified as the “London patient” — finished HIV antiretroviral therapy. He…

Were snakes the source of China’s coronavirus outbreak?

A report suggests that snakes – the Chinese krait and the Chinese cobra – might have been the original source of the coronavirus that’s triggered an outbreak of deadly infectious respiratory illnesses in China this year. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/snakes-original-source-china-coronavirus-outbreak…

Hans Christian Gram: The biologist who helped investigate bacteria

Biologist Hans Christian Gram devised one of the most important staining techniques used in microbiology to identify bacteria under a microscope Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2216418-hans-christian-gram-the-biologist-who-helped-investigate-bacteria/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Performance-Enhancing Bacteria Has a Symbiotic Relationship With Athletes

Long-time Slashdot reader tomhath shares some big bacteria news from Harvard Medical School:
Researchers from Joslin Diabetes Center determined Veillonella metabolizes lactic acid produced by exercise and converts it into propionate, a short chain fatty acid. The human body then utilizes that propionate to improve exercise capacity… “It creates this positive feedback loop. The host is producing something that this particular microbe…

Type A Blood Converted To Universal Donor Blood With Help From Bacterial Enzyme

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Science Magazine: For a transfusion to be successful, the patient and donor blood types must be compatible. Now, researchers analyzing bacteria in the human gut have discovered that microbes there produce two enzymes that can convert the common type A into a more universally accepted type. If the process pans out, blood specialists suggest…

The International Space Station Is a Cesspool of Bacteria and Fungi, Study Finds

An extensive survey of bacteria and fungi on surfaces inside the International Space Station has revealed an astonishing number of microorganisms living among the astronauts—the health impacts of which aren’t entirely clear. Read more… Source: https://gizmodo.com/the-international-space-station-is-a-cesspool-of-bacter-1833885488