Microbial biofilms—dense, sticky mats of bacteria that are hard to treat and can lead to dangerous infections—often form in medical equipment, such as flexible plastic tubing used in catheters or in tubes used to help ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 22, 2017
2
182
Dental plaque and the viscous brown slime in drainpipes are two familiar examples of bacterial biofilms. Removing such bacterial depositions from surfaces is often very difficult, in part because they are extremely water-repellent. ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 16, 2017
0
7
Microbial fuel cells exploit the metabolism of bacteria in order to generate electricity. A new type of biofilm developed in Bayreuth could soon make this relatively young technology considerably more effective, more stable, ...
Energy & Green Tech
Apr 13, 2017
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28
Microbiologists at Trinity College Dublin have discovered a new way to prevent bacteria from growing on medical devices such as hip replacements or heart valves implanted in the human body. The discovery is a step towards ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 20, 2017
0
477
Microbes, specifically disease-causing bacteria, can cause all sorts of havoc when they take hold on surfaces.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 1, 2016
0
18
Princeton researchers have for the first time revealed the mechanics of how bacteria build up slimy masses, called biofilms, cell by cell. When encased in biofilms in the human body, bacteria are a thousand times less susceptible ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 19, 2016
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294
In streams and rivers, bacteria, algae, and other microorganisms form tight-knit communities that feed the ecosystem, drive its biodiversity, and purify its water. These communities exist in several forms, swimming freely, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 6, 2016
0
1
New research at Michigan State University and published in the current issue of Nature Communications shows how Geobacter bacteria grow as films on electrodes and generate electricity - a process that's ready to be scaled ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 2, 2016
1
12
Seeing fruit "turn bad and going to waste" inspired a team of researchers in China to explore using atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium plasma—already widely used for medical purposes—as a novel solution to extend the ...
Plasma Physics
Jul 26, 2016
0
22
(Phys.org)—A team of researchers from the U.S. and Canada has identified two enzymes that have proven able to break down bacterial biofilms, allowing antibacterial agents to more effectively kill their targets. In their ...
