
Making bacteria visible
For a microbiologist, viewing bacteria is rarely a problem. When I look at bacteria in the lab they are samples that I have grown specially, in aseptic conditions to stop any other bacteria getting in.

Making bacteria visible
For a microbiologist, viewing bacteria is rarely a problem. When I look at bacteria in the lab they are samples that I have grown specially, in aseptic conditions to stop any other bacteria getting in.

The Crossroads of Evolution and Ecology
Penicillium makes Penicillin by Ryan Somma of Ideonexus. About EvoEcoLab Natural history is about observation and long, deep thinking. The best natural scientists have spent lots of time thinking about what they are witness to.


Microbe Outbreak Panics Europe
Spread of rare strain raises questions over surveillance of infectious diseases.

TB or Not TB?: Novel Detector Could Shorten Testing Times, Aid Treatment Efforts
Colorado State University researchers have developed a device for use in the field that can identify both active tuberculosis infection and dormant microbes, which could flare up into full-blown illness*

Tough lessons from Dutch Q fever outbreak
Mass cull of goats questioned as researchers race to find strain behind human cases.

Unearthing Anthrax's Dirty Secret: Its Mysterious Survival Skills May Rely on Help from Viruses--and Earthworms
Researchers find that viruses infecting anthrax and other Bacillus bacteria control its growth both in the soil and in earthworms--and uncover possible new reservoirs for the age-old scourge

Bacteria Transformed into Biofuel Refineries
Synthetic biology has allowed scientists to tweak E. coli to produce fuels from sugar and, more sustainably, cellulose

NO Good: Nitric Oxide May Be Key to Overcoming Antibiotic Resistance
Recent discoveries have shown how some bacteria use a form of nitric oxide to launch more effective attacks on their hosts. Can the new knowledge be translated into better drugs to beat antibiotic-resistant MRSA or anthrax?

Veterinarians Unleash Probiotics to Ease Doggie Discomfort
A growing number of veterinarians are prescribing supplements of friendly bacteria for dogs, but is there enough scientific evidence to justify it?

Slide Show: 5 Ways Science Is Trying to Keep Your Food Safe
In the wake of the deadly salmonella outbreak, a look at technologies being developed in the lab to protect us against future eruptions

Bacteria Can Use Viruses to Spread Toxin Gene
A study in the journal Science shows that staph bacteria are able to use viruses to insert their dangerous genes into the genomes of other species of bacteria. Karen Hopkin reports

How does salmonella get into peanut butter? And can you kill it once it's there?
The bacterium that sickened more than 400 across the U.S. and killed three is resistant to many sterilization techniques