Antonio Lazcano, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
Lynn Margulis (1938-2011) was a courageous scholar whose remarkable work on the role of symbiosis in evolution stands as a magisterial contribution of science.
Bacteria are everywhere, even on your drink garnishes and ice. While most are not going to harm you, some can make you very sick. Here are some things to consider at public drink stations.
When jetting off on holiday, we rarely give a second thought to what microbes we might be taking with us. But humans spread trillions of bacteria around the globe, potentially harming ecosystems’ balance.
Plants make proteins based on whatever genetic material you give them.
Carl Davies, CSIRO
Inserting a random DNA mishmash into a plant or bacterium directs it to make a novel protein. Sifting through the resulting molecules, researchers may find ones have medical or agricultural uses.
Monarch caterpillars feeding on milkweed leaves and dropping their faces (taken in the laboratory facility).
Prayan Pokharel
Bugs use their own defecation to defend their young, locate their homes and increase mating opportunities. For humans, insect faeces may even have untapped medicinal properties.
Swine brucellosis is spreading from Queensland into New South Wales. It’s carried by feral pigs and poses a real risk the people and dogs that hunt them.
Simple and inexpensive gene-editing technology such as CRISPR has made the creation of genetically modified organisms much easier. But could nature still keep the upper hand?
Just as organisms that infect us make changes in us - we too make changes in them and they grow and adapt to their human hosts.
from www.shutterstock.com
Humans play host to many little passengers. Right now, you’re incubating, shedding or have already been colonised by viral, bacterial, parasitic or fungal microorganisms - perhaps even all of them.
So-called “unconventional” deposits of oil and gas are found in shale, a type of layered, fine grained rock.
Dana283/Shutterstock
Gas buried in the Northern Territory’s Velkerri Shale was produced in a “slime world” that existed nearly a billion years before the first complex life on Earth evolved.
Trillions of microorganisms live inside your gut.
Anatomy Insider/Shutterstock.com
Trillions of microorganisms living inside your digestive system may influence your health and even your weight. Here’s how your gut may communicate with your brain, bone marrow and immune system.
Modern diets are changing the compositions of our gut microbiota, and with that, our personalities.
from shutterstock.com
For most of the twentieth century, we were at war with microbes, leading to substantial changes in our body’s ecosystem. This has changed our diets, disease profile, moods and even personalities.
Warning: may contain faecal bacteria.
Ksw Photographer/Shutterstock