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Here are some articles to start with.. |
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How I Achieved 7 Top Ten Google Rankings Without Breaking A
By Alexis Dawes, Sat Dec 10th
Copyright 2005 Alexis DawesBack in November 2004 I discovered a way to get a top 10 rankingin Google. I tested the technique for 3 months before I sharedmy findings with the Read more...
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How Your Smoking Affects Your Loved Ones
By Kelly Gillis, Thu Dec 8th
Your cigarette, cigar or pipe smoking doesn't only have anaffect on your health. The U.S. Surgeon General's report "TheHealth Consequences of Smoking," released in 2004, states it hasbeen proven Read more...
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Did bacteria developed into more complex cells much earlier in evolution than thought?
Biochemists have described the process by which bacteria developed into more complex cells and found this crucial step happened much earlier in the evolutionary timeline than previously thought.
Biofilms: Discovery of a new mechanism of virus propagation
Researchers have shown for the first time that certain viruses are capable of forming complex biofilm-like assemblies, similar to bacterial biofilms. These extracellular infectious structures may protect viruses from the immune system and enable them to spread efficiently from cell to cell. "Viral biofilms" would appear to be a major mechanism of propagation for certain viruses. They are therefore emerging as new and particularly attractive therapeutic targets.
Road mapping could be key to curing TB
The complex chain of metabolic events in bacteria that lead to fatal diseases such as tuberculosis may be better understood using mathematical models, according to a new article.
Important advance in imaging of cell death
Scientists have made progress in using a synthetic probe to target dead and dying cells in mammary and prostate tumors in living animals.
First measurement of energy released from a virus during infection
For the first time, scientists have directly measured the energy associated with the expulsion of viral DNA, a pivotal discovery toward fully understanding the physical mechanisms that control viral infection and designing drugs to interfere with the process.
Is iron from soil a factor in algal blooms?
Scientists are studying the part that iron from Australia's iron-rich soil plays in the algal blooms that plague parts of the eastern coast line during summer.
Sources of infection: Mycobacterium avium infections in pigs, humans and birds in Norway
New research from Norway has shown that Mycobacterium avium does not infect pigs via birds, as previously believed. M. avium can be divided into several subspecies, and the research shows that birds are infected by one particular subspecies, whereas pigs and humans are infected by another. Closely related bacteria were isolated in pigs and humans, which would indicate that pigs and humans are vulnerable to infection from the same sources in their surroundings.
'Good' bacteria keep immune system primed to fight future infections
Scientists have long pondered the seeming contradiction that taking broad-spectrum antibiotics over a long period of time can lead to severe secondary bacterial infections. Now researchers may have figured out why. They show that "good" bacteria in the gut keep the immune system primed to more effectively fight infection from invading pathogenic bacteria. Altering the intricate dynamic between resident and foreign bacteria -- via antibiotics, for example -- compromises an animal's immune response.
Cell growth regulates genetic circuits
Genetic circuits control the activity of genes and thereby the function of cells and organisms. Scientists have shown how various genetic circuits in bacterial cells are influenced by growth conditions. According to their findings, even genes that are not regulated can display different activities -- depending on whether they are translated into proteins in slow- or fast-growing cells. The results provide researchers with new insights into gene regulation and will help them in the design of synthetic genetic circuits in the future.
Why is it so difficult to eradicate salmonella?
Feed contaminated by salmonella bacteria is a familiar and costly problem for the animal feed industry all over the world. Some types of salmonella have succeeded in establishing themselves in feed and fish meal factories and have persisted there for several years because it has proved impossible to eradicate them.
Marine lab hunts subtle clues to environmental threats to blue crabs
Researchers are at work trying to identify the clues that will finger specific, yet elusive, environmental threats to the Atlantic blue crab.
How virulent food-borne bacteria listeria monocytogenes induces infected immune cells to sabotage their own defensive response
Researchers have discovered how the virulent food-borne bacteria Listeria monocytogenes induces infected immune cells to sabotage their own defensive response. The studies offer insight into host-pathogen interactions and suggest potential therapeutic targets for food poisoning, tuberculosis and autoimmune diseases.
Microbes produce fuels directly from biomass
Researchers have developed a microbe that can produce an advanced biofuel fuel directly from biomass. Deploying the tools of synthetic biology, the researchers engineered a strain of E. coli bacteria to produce biodiesel and other important chemicals derived from fatty acids.
Phage Therapy May Reduce Salmonella Infection in Pigs
An anti-salmonella phage cocktail administered to healthy pigs may limit transmission of the bacteria from infected pigs during transport to processing facilities and ultimately minimize the cases of human salmonella food-borne illness.
One third of milk and dairy products tested in Spanish restaurants exceed accepted microbe contamination limits
One-third of samples of milk and dairy products analysed in various restaurants exceed the microbe contamination limits set by the European Union, according to a new study.
In sync: Squid, glowing companions march in genetic harmony
Most humans are blissfully unaware that we owe our healthful existence to trillions of microbes that make their home in the nooks and crannies of the human body, primarily the gut. During evolutionary history, humans and bacteria have forged a mutually beneficial coexistence that provides the microbes' room and board in exchange for an array of biochemical services that help support everything from the digestion of food to a robust immune system. But the intimate details of the relationship -- how the cells of the host and the cells of the bacteria coexist and interact -- are murky.
Antibiotics might team up to fight deadly staph infections
Researchers have found that two antibiotics working together might be more effective in fighting pathogenic bacteria than either drug on its own.
Hungry immune guardians are snappier: Nutrition has a direct influence on the immune system
Researchers have discovered an elementary mechanism which regulates vital immune functions in healthy people. In situations of hunger which mean stress for the body's cells, the body releases more antimicrobial peptides in order to protect itself.
Gastric ulcer bacteria turn immune defense inwards
Despite a strong response from our immune defence, the body is unable to rid itself of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. One reason for this is that this bacterium encourages elements of the immune response to remain in tissue, activating the wrong immune cells. New research results are paving the way for a future vaccine.
Two-pronged immune response offers hope for effective Salmonella vaccine
New research renewed hope that an effective vaccine could be developed against non-typhoidal strains of Salmonella. The work suggests that the body's immune system could be primed to tackle even the most resilient of strains.
Chaperonins prompt proper protein folding -- but how?
In a new study in archaea (single-celled organisms without nuclei to enclose their genetic information), researchers have discovered how the Group II chaperonins close and open folding chambers to initiate the folding event and to release the functional protein to the cell.
Canada's food safety system fails international comparisons, expert argues
Canada's food safety system is reactive, lags behind other countries, and investment is needed to ensure it can adequately protect Canadians, according to one expert.
Researchers synchronize blinking 'genetic clocks' -- genetically engineered bacteria that keep track of time
Researchers who last year genetically engineered bacteria to keep track of time by turning on and off fluorescent proteins within their cells have taken another step toward the construction of a programmable genetic sensor. The scientists recently synchronized these bacterial "genetic clocks" to blink in unison and engineered the bacterial genes to alter their blinking rates when environmental conditions change.
Membrane-coat proteins: Bacteria have them too
Scientists have discovered that a group of bacteria possess proteins thought to exist only in eukaryotes. The discovery could yield evolutionary insights and a new model organism.
Retail meat linked to urinary tract infections: Strong new evidence
Chicken sold in supermarkets, restaurants and other outlets may place young women at risk of urinary tract infections, researchers have discovered. Samples taken in the Montreal area between 2005 and 2007 provide strong new evidence that E. coli bacteria originating from these food sources can cause common urinary tract infections.
Promising probiotic treatment for inflammatory bowel disease
Bacteria that produce compounds to reduce inflammation and strengthen host defenses could be used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Such probiotic microbes could be the most successful treatment for IBD to date, as explained in a new review.
Energy of attacking virus revealed
For the first time the research world has managed to measure the energy that is used when a virus infects a cell. The aim is to find a way to reduce the amount of energy inside the virus and thereby ultimately find a medicine that can counteract infections.
Friendly bacteria love the humble apple
Why does an apple a day keep the doctor away? New research contributes to our understanding of why eating apples is good for you.
New visible light photocatalyst kills bacteria, even after light turned off
In the battle against bacteria, researchers have developed a powerful new weapon -- an enhanced photocatalytic disinfection process that uses visible light to destroy harmful bacteria and viruses, even in the dark.
How clean is your knife?
A new fast-acting disinfectant that is effective against bacteria, viruses, fungi and prions could help to reduce the spread of deadly infections in hospitals, according to new research.
Common stomach pathogen may protect against tuberculosis, researchers find
It's been implicated as the bacterium that causes ulcers and the majority of stomach cancers, but new studies have found that Helicobacter pylori also may play a protective role -- against the worldwide killer, tuberculosis.
Minimal changes alter an enzyme dramatically
New functions can develop in an enzyme, according to new research. This can explain, for example, how resistance to toxins can occur so simply.
Bacteria are more capable of complex decision-making than thought
It's not thinking in the way humans, dogs or even birds think, but new findings show that bacteria are more capable of complex decision-making than previously known.
Making microscopic worms into a more deadly insecticide
Microscopic nematode worms can be a potent organic insecticide, killing crop-raiding bugs without without environmental side effects of chemicals. But when the worms are mass-bred for agriculture, they tend to "wimp out," and are not as deadly as their cousins that grow in the wild. A new study identified the genetic changes in lab-raised worms that make them less deadly to insects. These insights also provide a map for weakening worms that target humans.
Paradigm changing mechanism is revealed for the control of gene expression in bacteria
A new study is shedding new light on the action of Rho, a key regulatory protein in E. coli and many other bacteria. The study reveals a new paradigm to understand the molecular principles of gene transcription. This work could potentially lead to the development of new types of antibiotics that could target Rho and its crucial functions.
Sequencing wasp genome sheds new light on sexual parasite
Sequencing the complete genomes of three species of wasp provides new insights into the methods that the bacterial parasite Wolbachia uses to manipulate the sex lives of its hosts.
Polar bear droppings advance superbug debate
Scientists investigating the spread of antibiotic-resistant superbugs have gone the extra mile for their research -- all the way to the Arctic. Researchers found little sign of the microbes in the droppings of polar bears that have had limited or no contact with humans, suggesting that the spread of antibiotic resistance genes seen in other animals may be the result of human influence.
Molecular security system that protects cells from potentially harmful DNA discovered
Researchers have discovered a molecular security system in human cells that deactivates and degrades foreign DNA. This discovery could open the door to major improvements in genetic engineering and gene therapy technologies.
For this microbe, cousins not particularly welcome
A bacterial species that depends on cooperation to survive is discriminating when it comes to the company it keeps. Scientists have learned Myxococcus xanthus cells are able to recognize genetic differences in one another that are so subtle, even the scientists studying them must go to great lengths to tell them apart.
Microbe Collections Accelerate Discoveries
Contact lens wearers may remember headlines from a few years ago about molds that can live on the lenses and may cause debilitating eye infections. What lens users may not have known: agricultural scientists did the detective work necessary to precisely identify the Fusarium molds responsible for what was then a newly emerging medical problem worldwide.
Single atom controls motility required for bacterial infection
Researchers have discovered that a single atom -- a calcium, in fact -- can control how bacteria walk. The finding identifies a key step in the process by which bacteria infect their hosts, and could one day lead to new drug targets to prevent infection.
Researchers study microbes in cattle to unlock metabolic disease mysteries
Switching from warm-season grasses to cool-season forages can give livestock a belly ache, in some cases a deadly one, according to scientists. Scientists are using state-of-the-art technology -- metagenomics -- to determine how changes in diet affect microbial communities in the digestive tract of cattle and how these changes may increase risk of disease.
Stomach-cancer bug linked to cancer-promoting factor
Researchers report that Helicobacter pylori, the only bacterium known to survive in the harsh environment of the human stomach, directly activates an enzyme in host cells that has been associated with several types of cancer, including gastric cancer.
Researchers discover a way to strengthen proteins
Proteins, which perform such vital roles in our bodies as building and maintaining tissues and regulating cellular processes, are a finicky lot. In order to work properly, they must be folded just so, yet many proteins readily collapse into useless tangles when exposed to temperatures just a few degrees above normal body temperature.
Resistance to antibiotics can be drawback for bacteria
Neisseria meningitidis, the meningococcus, is a bacterium that can cause diseases with high fatality rates, and there has therefore been considerable concern that, like other bacteria, it might become resistant to antibiotics. But now a study shows that there has not been any increase in resistant meningococci in Sweden over the last 15 years. The reason for this may be that it is not especially advantageous for bacteria to develop resistance.
Eavesdropping on bacterial conversations may improve chronic wound healing
Listening in on bacterial conversations could be the solution for improving chronic wound care, say researchers.
Chemical control of potato psyllid studied
An entomologist is trying to determine the best management practices to reduce a potato crop's risk to zebra chip, a disease that discolors the potato and causes discounts to the producer. He has found that knowing when and where to spray is as important as what to spray.
Licorice root: Trip to the candy store might help ward off rare, but deadly infections
As it turns out, children were not the only ones with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads over this past holiday season. In a new study, scientists show how a compound from licorice root might be an effective tool in battling life-threatening, antibiotic-resistant infections resulting from severe burns.
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