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#Microbiology

Blog / The good, the bad, and the superbad: the rise and fall of antibiotics 

July 28, 2020July 28, 2020 / Amanda Smythers /

Just two centuries ago, an estimated 70% of people died before the age of 25. In the mid-19th century United States, over 20% of children didn’t make it through their…

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antibiotic resistance Chemistry Microbiology Science history

Blog / Where is the line between life and non-life?

March 3, 2020March 3, 2020 / Rachel Cherney /

What classifies an organism as living? New classes of viruses may blur the line between what is living and what is not.

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Biology evolution gene therapy Genetics Medicine Microbiology virology

Blog / Why microbes are so good at evolving

February 17, 2020February 17, 2020 / Connor LaMontagne /

How have creatures as simple as microbes managed to colonize every corner of the world, resist our weapons against them, and eat electricity? Turns out, they’re ridiculously good at evolution.

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ecology evolution Microbiology mutation populations

Blog / Looking for Life in all the Wrong Places

December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 / Gabrielle Budziszewski /

Scientists are at odds about the limits of life in the volatile terrain of Dallol, Ethiopia.

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Environmental Science Microbiology

Blog / Bacteria Don’t Have to Be Single Cells: Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis

November 19, 2019November 19, 2019 / Connor LaMontagne /

We usually define bacteria as being single-celled organisms. But with microbes, there’s always an exception to the rule.

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bacteria magnetic Microbiology multicellular single-celled unicellular

Blog / Why is the Flu such a Big Deal?

February 8, 2018February 8, 2018 / David Abraham /

With each flu season comes a bombardment of new advertisements reminding people to get a flu vaccine. The vaccine is free to most and widely available, yet almost half of…

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Biology Chemistry Immunology Microbiology Weird Science

Blog / Superbug Super Problem: The Emerging Age of Untreatable Infections

November 6, 2017 / Katherine Newns /

You’ve heard of MRSA. You may even have heard of XDR-TB and CRE. The rise of antibiotic-resistant infections in our communities has been both swift and alarming. But how did…

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Biology Medicine Microbiology Science Policy

Blog / H What N What? A Designer Protein Hits the Science Runway

August 3, 2017 / Bailey DeBarmore /

Influenza is a virus that straddles two worlds: that of the past and that of the future. Responsible for more deaths than HIV/AIDS in the past century, the flu is…

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Biology Chemistry Genetics Immunology Medicine Microbiology

Blog / Science and Ethics

July 6, 2017July 6, 2017 / Erika Van Goethem / 1

So let’s say, hypothetically, that your lab receives blood samples from a group of individuals to study genetic links with diabetes.  However, these samples would also provide important insights into…

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Genetics Graduate School Medicine Microbiology science communication Science Communication Series Science Policy Scientific Process Scientists

Blog / Frog Slime: The Secret to Kicking that Awful Flu

July 3, 2017July 10, 2017 / Breanna Turman /

  Got the flu? Time to start looking for your frog prince. Researchers at Emory University have identified a substance that kills influenza, the virus that causes seasonal flu. The…

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Biology Influenza Microbiology Science Communication Series Science News

Blog / A Call to Guts

March 28, 2017 / Lindsay Walton /

I’ve found that it is rather difficult to write an article when you are lying in the fetal position and afraid to move. No, I wasn’t trying to hide from…

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brain gut Microbiology microbiome Neuroscience science communication stomach

Blog / The Amazing Microbiota of Brown Bears

November 8, 2016November 8, 2016 / Melissa Plooster /

Image a researcher has been tasked with studying how hibernation affects a bear’s microbiota, or the collection of microorganisms residing on and in an organism. The researcher begins his day…

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bear Biology brown Microbiology microbiome microbiota Science News

Blog / Are Stem Cells Just Tiny Normal Cells?

August 4, 2016August 5, 2016 / Jaime Brozowski /

You’re at a social gathering and someone asks, “So, what do you do?” It’s meant to be a casual conversation starter, but do you ever find yourself taking a mental…

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Microbiology Science Communication Series stem cells

Blog / Eat Plastic? Don’t Mind if I Do!

March 31, 2016 / Chris Givens /

Humans do not find plastic bottles tasty. Try as we might, ingestion and digestion of an Auquafina bottle makes for a bad dinner. On the other hand, some bacteria see…

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Biology Chemistry Environmental Science Evolutionary Biology Microbiology

Blog / Drug Resistance 1-2-3

December 31, 2015February 16, 2016 / Chris Givens /

Recently, I read an article in The Atlantic by Ed Yong, an experienced science writer whom I admire. In this article, Mr. Yong describes a study commissioned by the Wellcome…

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Biology Drug Resistant Bacteria Everyday Questions Medicine Microbiology Science News Scientific Communication

Blog / Underfoot, but not to be underrated: how tiny soil creatures influence survival, growth, and communication of plants

October 26, 2015February 16, 2016 / Alissa Brown /

Traditionally, plant ecologists seeking to better understand plant communities looked up (at light availability or precipitation patterns), across the landscape (at elevation or topography), and down (at leaf litter depth…

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Environmental Science Microbiology Weird Science

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