Related topics: antibiotics · protein · cells · immune system · microbes

Emu software uses common gene to profile microbial communities

Part of a gene is better than none when identifying a species of microbe. But for Rice University computer scientists, part was not nearly enough in their pursuit of a program to identify all the species in a microbiome.

Enzyme in human salivary microbes decomposes PET-based plastics

Human saliva may contain an enzyme which can decompose the plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Researchers found the promising enzyme, a hydrolase, in a database containing human metagenome samples. As they report in ...

Bacteria with recording function capture gut health status

Researchers from ETH Zurich, University Hospital of Bern and the University of Bern have equipped gut bacteria with data logger functionality as a way of monitoring which genes are active in the bacteria. These microorganisms ...

Bacterial soundtracks revealed by graphene membrane

Have you ever wondered if bacteria make distinctive sounds? If we could listen to bacteria, we would be able to know whether they are alive or not. When bacteria are killed using an antibiotic, those sounds would stop—unless ...

How bacteria swim: Researchers discover new mechanisms

When pathogens invade a human host, they need maximum ability to move through the body as they navigate adverse environments and cause infection. Their ability to drill themselves through gel-like surroundings is often made ...

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