Latest Feature
Latest Feature
Earth’s “little Marses”: how extremophiles are shaping astrobiology
There are places on our planet where the environmental conditions closely resemble those on Mars. These terrestrial analogues have become natural laboratories where scientists study the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
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Under the Microscope: Microbes in fashion
In the dawn of a new era, the fashion industry is turning its sights to harnessing the power of microbes to produce cruelty-free fur and leather alternatives, to create pigments that will replace toxic dyes and even being used to more sustainably recycle textile waste.
Under the microscope: extremophiles of the Earth
Extremophiles are microbial organisms that live in extreme environments normally considered uninhabitable. Over the past few decades, extremophiles have been discovered in increasingly bizarre and unexpected environments around the globe, including within acid lakes, plastic recycling centres and even in radioactive sites such as Chernobyl.
Under the microscope: pasteurisation
Pasteurisation is a process by which raw milk is heated to a specific temperature for long enough to kill any pathogenic bacteria, including those that can cause food-borne illnesses. In the current day, all the milk in supermarkets will have gone through a rigorous pasteurisation process before reaching our store ...
Under the microscope: body farms
Human Taphonomy Facilities, also known as body farms, are outdoor research facilities used to study human decomposition under different environmental conditions and stressors.
Losing the Earth’s bounty
Farmland degradation and soil erosion have caused food shortages and the collapse of civilizations throughout human history. Today, soil degradation is a growing driver of global threats such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity. Loss of soil, the resource that supports production of 95% of the food supply, ...
Rethinking Blastocystis: a One Health perspective on a common and controversial gut protist worth our attention
Here’s the reality: a stool report that reads “Blastocystis detected” still provokes strong reactions. Some clinicians worry and reach for antibiotics. Some laboratories add a note about “uncertain significance.” Patients search online and find polarised claims ranging from harmless commensal to stealth pathogen. The truth is more nuanced and more ...
What are we swimming in? The growing need for Microbial Source Tracking
The pandemic changed the way many of us connect with the outdoors. Wild swimming and other aquatic pursuits have seen an increase in public interest since 2020, and with that, a heightened awareness of water quality.
Historical Perspective
A century of colicin: how a problem became the cure
Since the dawn of time, bacteria have evolved sophisticated ways to wage war against one another. Among the most fascinating of these natural weapons are colicins — protein toxins produced by certain strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli) to eliminate competing bacteria. This article examines how these remarkable molecules were ...
What is eating my rocks? A possible novel biological niche inside limestone
“It seems something biological has once lived inside rocks in Namibia.” Read the story of this unusual discovery…
Could spiritual healing sites be fertile ground for new antibiotics?
Common motifs between Streptomyces and sites of spiritual healing may help with the discovery of new sites for bioprospecting. Although there may be a temptation to dismiss the spiritual nature of the healing sites, it is important that researchers begin to understand these in the appropriate cultural and spiritual context.
The birds, the bees, and the bugs: how gut microbes impact sex hormones and reproductive health
The gut microbiome has been tied to our reproductive health through its ability to produce, break down, and modify sex hormones.