Discovered in 1982, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a disease-causing bacterium that survives in our stomachs despite the harsh acidic conditions. It is estimated that one in two people have got it, though most won't ever ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 14, 2015
4
993
The ancient Chinese practiced copromancy, the diagnosis of health based on the shape, size and texture of feces. So did the Egyptians, the Greeks and nearly every ancient culture. Even today, your doctor may ask when you ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 27, 2017
4
249
Disruptions in the microbiome of the human gut are correlated with several diseases, including obesity and cancer. Yet little is known about the spatial organization of the nearly 1,000 bacterial species in the human gut, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 10, 2017
0
30
Researchers from Johns Hopkins have found that dense mats of interacting bacteria, called biofilms, were present in the majority of cancers and polyps, particularly those on the right side of the colon. The presence of these ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 12, 2014
1
0
Biochemists at the University of Zurich have used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the detailed architecture of the chloride channel TMEM16A. This protein is a promising target for the development of effective drugs ...
Biochemistry
Dec 13, 2017
0
106
Mucus is able to protect us from infection thanks to ancient genes that have been conserved throughout 350 million years of evolution—dating back to our days as a jellyfish.
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 9, 2018
0
46
A net with large holes won't catch small fish. Likewise, the microscopic fibers in the protective mucus coatings of the eyes, lungs, stomach or reproductive system naturally bundle together and allow the tiniest disease-causing ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 5, 2009
2
0
Coral is really an ecosystem within the reef ecosystem: a colony of invertebrate polyps that excrete a calcium-carbonate skeleton. Living within the polyps are photosynthetic algae that produce nutrients the polyps use as ...
Ecology
Dec 13, 2013
0
0
Most people get upset stomachs from time to time. Usually, a few trips to the bathroom or antibiotics solve the problem. For pandas, it's an entirely different story. Our research into panda digestion shows that pandas get ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 24, 2016
0
23
Sharks prowl the watery depths for their prey, lions stalk the tall-grass savannah, and bacteriophages, well, they've got snot. The thin layer of mucus that coats epithelial cells serves as the hunting ground for phages, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 19, 2015
0
30
