Ant farmers use bacteria to make their gardens growNovember 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, scientists have found that ant farmers, like their human counterparts, depend on nitrogen-fixing bacteria to make their gardens grow. The finding documents a previously unknown symbiosis between ants and bacteria and provides insight into how leaf-cutter ants have come to dominate the American tropics and subtropics.
Ciggies "widely contaminated" with pathogenic bacteriaNovember 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An international study has found cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria, including some which can cause diseases. A University of Maryland environmental health researcher and microbial ecologists at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon in France conducted the research.
Study examines how viruses attack bacteriaNovember 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists say they are investigating how some viruses, known for attacking humans and animals, instead attack bacteria. Texas A and M University researchers say information about such viral attackers, called phages or bacteriophages, might aid in the treatment of bacterial infections.
Genetic defects linked to inflammatory disorderNovember 16th, 2009 LONDON - British scientists have identified certain genetic mutations that contribute to inflammatory disorder, ulcerative colitis. Four genes namely LAMB1, CDH1, CDH3 and HNF4A play vital roles in keeping the intestine lining healthy.
Keep heart attack victim cool for better survival chanceNovember 16th, 2009 LONDON - Rapid cooling of the body after a cardiac arrest seems to improve chances of survival without damaging the victim's brain, a new study has found. We now have a method that is safe and can be started within minutes of cardiac arrest to minimise damage during this very critical period, said study leader Maaret Castrn, professor of emergency medicine at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm.
Now, bacteria to detect landminesNovember 16th, 2009 LONDON - British scientists have developed a new test to detect landmines using bacteria that glow green when they come in contact with chemicals leaked from the buried explosives. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have created the bacteria.
Long-term mobile phone use can 'spark tumour rise'November 1st, 2009 LONDON - A new British study suggests that the long-term use of mobile phones can create up to 1,500 cases of brain tumours per year over the next twenty years. The team led by radiation expert Dr George Carlo reviewed 23 major studies on the effects of cell phones on users to conclude that people using phones for 10 years or more had 34 percent more chances of developing brain tumours.
Dietary fibre can keep diseases at bayOctober 30th, 2009 SYDNEY - Insoluble dietary fibre or roughage plays a vital role in the immune system, keeping certain diseases at bay, according to researchers. The indigestible part of all plant-based foods pushes its way through most of the digestive tract unchanged, acting as a kind of internal broom.
Fibre-rich diet may help maintain healthy immune systemOctober 29th, 2009 LONDON - Australian researchers suggest that consuming a diet rich in fibre helps in maintaining healthier immune systems. The indigestible part of all plant-based foods pushes its way through most of the digestive tract unchanged, acting as a kind of internal broom.
Scientists develop better technique to study bacterial swimmingOctober 5th, 2009 LONDON - Scientists have come up with a new way to watch bacteria as they swim, which is expected to eventually help trap Escherichia coli bacteria and modify the microbes' environment without hindering the way they move. The new approach uses optical traps, microfluidic chambers and fluorescence to get an improved picture of how E.
Scientists detect chink in virulent stomach bug's armourOctober 3rd, 2009 LONDON - Scientists have detected a crack in the armour of the Helicobacter pylori, a common microbe that infects the stomachs of one-sixth of the world's population, causing gastritis and ulcers. They identified a group of substances that block a key chemical pathway that the bacteria need for survival.
Genetic changes blamed for Clostridium difficile infections riseSeptember 28th, 2009 LONDON - British researchers have attributed the recent rise in Clostridium difficile infections to genetic changes rather than dirty hospitals. The researchers compared an historic strain and a strain from the outbreak at Stoke Mandeville hospital in 2003, and found that it had evolved to be more virulent.
Scientists uncover new anti-TB compoundsSeptember 17th, 2009 LONDON - Scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College have identified certain compounds that would inhibit the sophisticated mechanism used by tuberculosis bacteria for surviving dormant in infected cells. The researchers said most of the people infected with TB remain symptom-free because the Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the disease-causing bacteria, is kept in check within immune system cells.
New air filter system can destroy up to 99.9 per cent of bugs on aircraftSeptember 16th, 2009 LONDON - British researchers have developed an air filter system that destroys up to 99.9 per cent of infectious viruses and bacteria as well as pollutants that can circulate in the confines of an aircraft, especially on long-haul flights. According to a report in The Times, the machine has been developed by aerospace giant BAE Systems, in collaboration with Quest International, a small company based in Cheadle, South Manchester, UK.
Researchers use waste material to extract uraniumSeptember 7th, 2009 LONDON - Using bacteria and inositol phosphate, a chemical residue of cheap waste material from plants, researchers have recovered uranium from effluents discharged by uranium mines. "By using a cheap feedstock easily obtained from plant wastes we have shown that an economic, scalable process for uranium recovery is possible," says Lynne Macaskie, microbiology professor at Birmingham University (B-U), who led the research.
