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. The microbiome is your body's set of microbial communities; microbial cells outnumber human cells roughly ten to one. Through studying the microbiome, scientists are learning more the relationship between these microbes and human health and disease. In looking at the effect of diet on the composition of the gut microbiome, Dr. Nanette Steinle of the University of Maryland's School of Medicine and Dr. Emmanuel Mongodin of the University of Maryland Institute of Genome Sciences wanted to determine if the Mediterranean diet would cause changes in an individual's microbiome. This diet was selected because it has already been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. http://phys.org/news285941900.html Biology Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:18:25 EST news285941900 (Phys.org)—Catheters play a crucial role in hospital care, particularly in the transport of intravenous fluids and medication. Typically, they are made of flexible low-toxicity silicon rubber that is, unfortunately, prone to colonization by bacteria or other microbes. Once settled, the microbes form a biofilm that provides resistance to antimicrobial agents and the body's immune response. These biofilms are the leading cause of potentially lethal healthcare-related infections. To prevent this build-up, or fouling, a team led by Yi-Yan Yang from the A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) has developed a simple and effective method to modify the rubber surface of catheter tubing. http://phys.org/news279965478.html Chemistry Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:11:35 EST news279965478 Researchers from the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) and IBM Research today unveiled the first-ever antimicrobial hydrogel that can break apart biofilms and destroy multidrug-resistant superbugs upon contact. Tests have demonstrated the effectiveness of this novel synthetic material in eliminating various types of bacteria and fungi that are leading causes of microbial infections, and preventing them from developing antibiotic resistance. This discovery may be used in wound healing, medical device and contact lens coating, skin infection treatment and dental fillings. http://phys.org/news278230414.html Chemistry Thu, 24 Jan 2013 06:13:42 EST news278230414 (Phys.org)—University of the West of England scientists have unveiled a robot that uses an unusual source of power - human poo. http://phys.org/news273395811.html Technology Thu, 29 Nov 2012 07:17:30 EST news273395811 As pathogenic bacteria overcome our current arsenal of antibiotic drugs, new antimicrobial therapies with fresh modes of action are needed. A set of antimicrobials based on synthetic polymers is a promising approach. These experimental therapeutics are highly effective at killing multi-drug-resistant pathogenic bacterial cells, but they have a low selectivity for their target over host tissues and are toxic to red blood cells. Now, an alternative approach to polymer design that overcomes this toxicity, while retaining the high efficacy against pathogens, has been developed by a team led by Yugen Zhang at the A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. http://phys.org/news272705024.html Chemistry Wed, 21 Nov 2012 07:50:01 EST news272705024 The doctoral dissertation of Milja Vepsäläinen, M.Sc. (microbiology), prepared at the Finnish Environment Institute, involved developing a test pattern designed to measure soil biological diversity. The aim is to measure the activity potential of enzymes produced by soil microbes. Enzymes regulate cycling of elements in soils, and measurement allows assessing the functional diversity of soils. In addition, the results may be used as an ecosystem indicator. Since very little data on the functional diversity of soils is available, there is a clear need for methods that enable the measurement of soil-related variables. The defence will be held on 9 November 2012, at 12 noon at Building of Forest Sciences on the Viikki Campus of the University of Helsinki. http://phys.org/news271670907.html Space & Earth Fri, 09 Nov 2012 08:09:20 EST news271670907 There are approximately one trillion quintillion microbial cells on this planet. That's more than the number of stars in the known universe!  http://phys.org/news270111589.html Biology Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:10:01 EST news270111589 Environmental problems, such as depleting natural resources, highlight the need to establish a renewable chemical industry. Metabolic engineering enhances the production of chemicals made by microbes in so-called "cell factories". Next Monday, world class scientist Professor Sang Yup Lee of KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) will explain how metabolic engineering could lead to the development of solutions to these environmental problems. http://phys.org/news268889234.html Biology Mon, 08 Oct 2012 04:27:30 EST news268889234 (Phys.org) -- As a rising global population and increasing standard of living drive demand for freshwater, many researchers are developing new techniques to desalinate salt water. Among them is a team of scientists from The Netherlands, who have shown how to transform brackish (moderately salty) water into potable freshwater using just a pair of wires and a small voltage that can be generated by a small solar cell. The simple technique has the potential to be more energy-efficient than other techniques because of the minimal amount of mixing between the treated and untreated water. http://phys.org/news258365388.html Chemistry Fri, 08 Jun 2012 09:30:01 EST news258365388 Scientists call it LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, but they don't know much about this great-grandparent of all living things. Many believe LUCA was little more than a crude assemblage of molecular parts, a chemical soup out of which evolution gradually constructed more complex forms. Some scientists still debate whether it was even a cell. http://phys.org/news237032859.html Biology Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:27:52 EST news237032859 There are ten microbial cells for every one human cell in the body, and microbiology dogma holds that there is a tight barrier protecting the inside of the body from outside invaders, in this case bacteria. Bacterial pathogens can break this barrier to cause infection and senior author Jeffrey Weiser, MD, professor of Microbiology and Pediatrics from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and first author Thomas Clarke, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Weiser lab, wondered how microbes get inside the host and circulate in the first place. Weiser and Clarke tested to see if microbes somehow weaken host cell defenses to enter tissues. http://phys.org/news227462954.html Biology Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:09:31 EST news227462954 We are what we eat, but who are "we"? New, high-powered genomic analytical techniques have established that as many as 1,000 different single-celled species coexist in relative harmony in every healthy human gut. http://phys.org/news196603986.html Biology Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:21:31 EST news196603986 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new way to make valuable chemicals and more affordable “green” fuel from solar power, bacteria and carbon dioxide could be "truly transformative" for our society if it works on a commercial scale, says microbiologist Derek Lovley, head of a research group developing the method at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. http://phys.org/news194022765.html Biology Tue, 25 May 2010 16:13:08 EST news194022765 The human body contains billions of microorganisms, and microbial cells found in the human gut are estimated to outnumber human cells by ten-to-one in healthy adults. However, little is known about the ways in which these minute life forms influence health and disease. http://phys.org/news175953178.html Medicine & Health Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:30:12 EST news175953178 Immobilized microbes can break down potentially harmful phthalates, according to researchers in China, writing in the International Journal of Environment and Pollution. The microbes might be used to treat industrial waste water and so prevent these materials from entering the environment. http://phys.org/news164631553.html Biology Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:59:39 EST news164631553