Cloth face masks that can be disinfected by the sun
Reading Time: 2 minutesDURING the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have become accustomed to wearing cotton face masks in public places. However, viruses and bacteria that stick to the mask could be transferred elsewhere when the wearer removes or touches it. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have developed a special type of cotton face mask that kills […]
National survey shows different bacteria on cell phones and shoes
Reading Time: 2 minutesTHE largest study of its kind in the U.S. shows thousands of different types of bacteria living on cell phones and shoes, including groups that have barely been studied by scientists. “This highlights how much we have to learn about the microbial world around us,” said David Coil, a researcher at the University of California, […]
Antibiotics discovered that kill bacteria in a new way
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA NEW GROUP of antibiotics with a unique approach to attacking bacteria has been discovered, making it a promising clinical candidate in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. The newly-found corbomycin and the lesser-known complestatin have a never-before-seen way to kill bacteria, which is achieved by blocking the function of the bacterial cell wall. The discovery […]
Lab-evolved bacteria consume C02
Reading Time: < 1 minuteOVER the course of several months, researchers in Israel created Escherichia coli strains that consume CO2 for energy instead of organic compounds. This achievement in synthetic biology highlights the incredible plasticity of bacterial metabolism and could provide the framework for future carbon-neutral bioproduction. The work appears in the Nov 27th issue of the journal Cell.