http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) —The term "survival of the fittest" refers to natural selection in biological systems, but Darwin's theory may apply more broadly than that. New research from the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory shows that this evolutionary theory also applies to technological systems. http://phys.org/news283760326.html Biology Fri, 29 Mar 2013 07:18:57 EST news283760326 (Phys.org)—Pathogenic salmonellae rely on a division of labour: some of them see to the common wellbeing, while others are able to stand up to free rider salmonellae better. This teamwork bears certain similarities to that of bee and ant colonies and is the salmonellae's recipe for success in colonising the gut. http://phys.org/news280691148.html Biology Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:47:11 EST news280691148 Vibrio cholerae, the scourge of nations lacking clean water. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the microbe that plagues people with cystic fibrosis. Acinetobacter species, opportunistic organisms that can infect vulnerable people. Escherichia coli, a culprit in food-borne illnesses. http://phys.org/news280143467.html Biology Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:38:01 EST news280143467 It isn't life on Mars, but researchers have found a rich diversity of microbial life and chemicals in the ephemeral habitat of a storm cloud, according to a study published January 23 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Tina Šantl Temkiv and colleagues from Aarhus University, Denmark. http://phys.org/news278184947.html Biology Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:35:53 EST news278184947 After metamorphosis European forest cockchafers benefit from the same bacterial symbionts housed during their larval stage. http://phys.org/news275140505.html Biology Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:55:34 EST news275140505 (Phys.org)—A new DNA sequencing technique has enabled researchers to map for the first time the influential chemical modifications known as methylation marks throughout the genome of a pathogenic bacterium. By comparing these patterns between related strains of the bacteria, they stumbled upon a way that viruses that infect bacteria (known as bacteriophages) can dramatically alter their host. http://phys.org/news272531534.html Biology Mon, 19 Nov 2012 07:12:22 EST news272531534 (Phys.org)—Proteomics experts and resources at EMSL contributed to a study published in Science centered on the discovery of new bacteria and the metabolic roles, such as carbon cycling, of bacteria in the environment. The bacteria studied were part of microbial communities collected directly from an acetate-amended subsurface aquifer as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Integrated Field Research Challenge (IFRC). http://phys.org/news271494804.html Biology Wed, 07 Nov 2012 07:40:07 EST news271494804 When there is little water available for plants to grow, their roots form alliances with soil microbes that can promote plant growth even under water-limiting conditions, according to research published Oct. 31 by Daniele Daffonchio and colleagues from the University of Milan, Italy in the open access journal PLOS ONE. http://phys.org/news270933205.html Biology Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:13:41 EST news270933205 (Phys.org)—Infectious bacteria received a taste of their own medicine from University of Missouri researchers who used viruses to infect and kill colonies of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, common disease-causing bacteria. The viruses, known as bacteriophages, could be used to efficiently sanitize water treatment facilities and may aid in the fight against deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria. http://phys.org/news267723735.html Biology Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:42:43 EST news267723735 A by-product of biofuel manufacture can power microbial fuel cells to generate electricity cheaply and efficiently, according to scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn Conference. The work could help develop self-powered devices that would depollute waste water and be used to survey weather in extreme environments. http://phys.org/news266034996.html Technology Wed, 05 Sep 2012 03:37:03 EST news266034996 When an invading bacterium or virus starts rummaging through the contents of a cell nucleus, using proteins like tiny hands to rearrange the host's DNA strands, it can alter the host's biological course. The invading proteins use specific binding, firmly grabbing onto particular sequences of DNA, to bend, kink and twist the DNA strands. The invaders also use non-specific binding to grasp any part of a DNA strand, but these seemingly random bonds are weak. http://phys.org/news265567046.html Physics Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:37:31 EST news265567046 (Phys.org) -- The identification of key proteins in a group of heat-loving bacteria by researchers at the Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center could help light a fire under next-generation biofuel production. http://phys.org/news260468502.html Biology Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:21:50 EST news260468502 Bacterial contamination in water-damaged buildings has been identified as a potential cause of health problems, including infection and respiratory conditions like asthma. Which specific bacteria contribute to these problems, however, has been unknown—making it difficult for public health officials to develop tools to effectively address the underlying source of the problem. http://phys.org/news259337275.html Biology Tue, 19 Jun 2012 15:08:34 EST news259337275 Scientists at The University of Nottingham have opened the way for more accurate research into new ways to fight dangerous bacterial infections by proving a long-held theory about how bacteria communicate with each other. http://phys.org/news256473774.html Biology Thu, 17 May 2012 11:42:59 EST news256473774 New research shows how bacteria evolve to increase ecosystem functioning by recycling each other's waste. The study provides some of the first evidence for how interactions between species shape evolution when there is a diverse community. http://phys.org/news256312201.html Biology Tue, 15 May 2012 17:00:05 EST news256312201 (PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of microbiologists led by Indiana University researchers has identified a new bacterial growth process -- one that occurs at a single end or pole of the cell instead of uniform, dispersed growth along the long axis of the cell -- that could have implications in the development of new antibacterial strategies. http://phys.org/news246042600.html Biology Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:10:10 EST news246042600 Disease outbreaks are often associated with hot weather. Because many bacteria typically multiply more rapidly in warmer conditions, it's a commonly held notion that warm-weather outbreaks are a straightforward consequence of greater numbers of the microbial culprit. http://phys.org/news242635430.html Biology Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:45:32 EST news242635430 Amphibians are among the most threatened creatures on earth, with some 40 percent of amphibian species threatened or endangered. One of their primary threats is a rapidly spreading disease that attacks the skin cells of amphibians. "Chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease, has been a key factor in the extinctions of many species of frogs around the world," said Lisa Belden, associate professor of biological sciences in the College of Science at Virginia Tech. http://phys.org/news239980800.html Biology Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:20:08 EST news239980800 As microbes grow increasingly resistant to existing antibiotics, scientists are looking in new directions for drug development. A new paper, published Oct. 19 in the online journal PLoS ONE, reports the synthesis and testing of a family of potential antimicrobial molecules and finds that their therapeutic effect is comparable to that of many currently used antimicrobial agents. http://phys.org/news238296455.html Chemistry Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:40:03 EST news238296455 A team at the Stanford University School of Medicine has cataloged, down to the letter, exactly what parts of the genetic code are essential for survival in one bacterial species, Caulobacter crescentus. http://phys.org/news233921965.html Biology Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:19:38 EST news233921965 (PhysOrg.com) -- When you're a tiny creature in a vast ocean it pays to hang out with the right crowd, regardless of whether they are related to you or not, a new study into the amazingly diverse world of marine microbes has found. http://phys.org/news232097798.html Biology Tue, 09 Aug 2011 08:40:01 EST news232097798 (PhysOrg.com) -- A teaspoon of seawater contains thousands of naturally occurring bacteria. Scientists previously believed that less than half of these ocean microbes are actively taking up organic compounds, while the remainder -- a mix of rare species -- lie dormant. http://phys.org/news230453325.html Biology Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:49:17 EST news230453325 The discovery that a bacterial species in the Australian Tammar wallaby gut is responsible for keeping the animal's methane emissions relatively low suggests a potential new strategy may exist to try to reduce methane emissions from livestock, according to a new study. http://phys.org/news228660533.html Space & Earth Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:00:01 EST news228660533 Researchers from the Institute of Food Research and The Genome Analysis Centre have published the genome sequence of a gut bacterium, to help understand how these organisms evolved their symbiotic relationships with their hosts. http://phys.org/news228654572.html Biology Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:09:40 EST news228654572 (PhysOrg.com) -- In efforts to reduce contamination at a former uranium mill tailings site, Dr. Krishna Mahadevan is developing genome-scale models to determine why certain bacteria reduce uranium better than others. The University of Toronto professor is part of a scientific team studying the Department of Energy's Integrated Field-Scale Subsurface Research Challenge site in Rifle, Colorado. He collaborates with Dr. Derek Lovley at the University of Massachusetts and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists Dr. Timothy Scheibe and Dr. Philip Long. http://phys.org/news226747314.html Biology Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:40:01 EST news226747314 Using bacteria to generate energy is a signifiant step closer following a breakthrough discovery by scientists at the University of East Anglia. http://phys.org/news225373141.html Biology Mon, 23 May 2011 15:00:01 EST news225373141 The part of bacterial DNA that often carries antibiotic resistance is a master at moving between different types of bacteria and adapting to widely differing bacterial species, shows a study made by a research team at the University of Gothenburg in cooperation with Chalmers University of Technology. The results are published in an article in the scientific journal Nature Communications. http://phys.org/news221756775.html Biology Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:06:39 EST news221756775 A newly sequenced bacterial genome from a team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory could contain clues as to how microorganisms produce a highly toxic form of mercury. http://phys.org/news221501577.html Biology Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:13:08 EST news221501577 Researchers at The Forsyth Institute have made a significant discovery about the nature of childhood dental disease. The scientific studies led by Anne Tanner, BDS, Ph.D., identified a new pathogen connected to severe early childhood caries (cavities). This bacterium, Scardovia wiggsiae, was present in the mouths of children with severe early childhood caries when other known pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans were not detected. This research may offer the potential to intervene and halt the progression of disease. http://phys.org/news218091629.html Medicine & Health Mon, 28 Feb 2011 05:00:56 EST news218091629 Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed an experimental vaccine that appears to protect against an increasingly common and particularly deadly form of pneumococcal pneumonia. Details of the new vaccine, which was tested in an animal model, are reported in a paper published today in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. http://phys.org/news217572269.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:44:46 EST news217572269