A team of researchers from Denmark, the U.K. and Ireland has identified the origin of ambergris. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, the group describes analyzing DNA sequences from ambergris samples ...
Some of the bacteria in our guts were passed down over millions of years, since before we were human, suggesting that evolution plays a larger role than previously known in people's intestinal-microbe makeup, according to ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 21, 2016
4
1683
In the early 19th century in North America, parasitic infections were quite common in urban areas due in part to population growth and urbanization. Prior research has found that poor sanitation, unsanitary privy (outhouse) ...
Archaeology
May 3, 2021
1
118
At a time when kombucha is commonplace on cafe menus and "probiotic-fortified" has become the newest health buzzword, our guts have never been more relevant. With good reason, humans have begun paying more attention to the ...
Evolution
Jan 7, 2020
8
355
A team of researchers in Singapore has developed a technique for bioengineering a bacterium to seek out and kill targeted pathogens. In their paper published in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology, the team describes the technique ...
A new analysis of ancient feces taken from two Jerusalem latrines dating back to the biblical Kingdom of Judah has uncovered traces of a single-celled microorganism Giardia duodenalis—a common cause of debilitating diarrhea ...
Archaeology
May 25, 2023
0
318
Figuring out why the French have low cardiovascular disease rates despite a diet high in saturated fats has spurred research and many theories to account for this phenomenon known as the "French paradox." Most explanations ...
Other
Apr 8, 2015
2
101
Research led by multiple institutions in China has examined how small, furry, viral vectors affect the spread and evolution of viruses. They report the identification of 669 viruses, including 534 novel viruses, greatly expanding ...
Gray whales that spend their summers feeding off the coast of Oregon are shorter than their counterparts who travel north to the Arctic for food, new research from Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute shows.
Plants & Animals
Aug 9, 2023
0
241
What people say they've eaten and what they've actually eaten are often two very different lists of foods. But a new technique using DNA barcoding to identify the plant matter in human feces may get at the truth, improving ...
Biotechnology
Jun 27, 2023
1
320
