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Emergence of bacterial vortex explained

By Guest PostAugust 7, 2014Sciencebacteria, brown university, computer simulations, dunia tonob, hidden message, kathy griffin, managing menopause, president donald trump, tyler shields

Bacteria in a drop of water spontaneously form a bi-directional vortex, with bacteria near the center of the drop swimming in the opposite direction of bacteria swimming near the edge. New computer simulations, confirmed by a novel experiment, explain how that vortex comes to be.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — When a bunch of B. subtilis bacteria are confined within a droplet of water, a very strange thing happens. The chaotic motion of all those individual swimmers spontaneously organizes into a swirling vortex, with bacteria on the outer edge of the droplet moving in one direction while those on the inside move the opposite direction. (more…)

Silent mutations speak up

By Guest PostAugust 4, 2014Sciencebacteria, biological mechanisms, casey beppler, dna mutations, growth of bacteria, koerbchenmuschel, meerestemperaturen, phenomenon, post antibiotic era, protein, rna, rolle von klimaschwankungen, salmonella enteric, university of utah

University of Utah researchers find that multiple silent mutations greatly impact protein translation

So-called silent DNA mutations earned their title because, according to the fundamental rules of biology, they should be inconsequential. Reported on June 5 in PLOS Genetics online, University of Utah researchers experimentally proved there are frequent exceptions to the rule. The work was conducted in the bacteria, Salmonella enterica, used to study basic biological mechanisms that are often conserved in humans. (more…)

Bacteria on your hands reflect the country you live in

By Guest PostMay 15, 2014Healthapex gun, apotheker, bacteria, city of angels, clean la solar, daniele filippetto, dna sequencing, eco conscious city, electron eye, electron guns, federal tax credit, hires, modernize, reflect, solar cities, solar incentive program, ultrafast electron diffraction, united states, yale scientist

Where and how you live strongly influences both the type and number of microbes you carry on your hands, according to a new international study led by scientists at Yale and Stanford.

The research identified and analyzed bacteria on the hands of women in Tanzania and graduate students in the United States, finding that bacterial populations were more similar among the subjects within a country than between subjects of different countries. (more…)

New technique will accelerate genetic characterization of photosynthesis

By Guest PostMay 8, 2014Sciencebacteria, carbon, christian joyal, energy, green algae, journal of sex, life on earth, organism, photosynthesis, yeast

Stanford, CA — Photosynthesis provides fixed carbon and energy for nearly all life on Earth, yet many aspects of this fascinating process remain mysterious. For example, little is known about how it is regulated in response to changes in light intensity. More fundamentally, we do not know the full list of the parts of the molecular machines that perform photosynthesis in any organism.

A type of single-cell green algae called Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a leading subject for photosynthesis research. Despite its importance in the research world, few tools are available for characterizing the functions of its genes. (more…)

New Insight into an Emerging Genome-Editing Tool

By Guest PostMarch 11, 2014Scienceactinomyces naeslundii, anacas9, bacteria, bacterial immune system, berkeley lab, biochemist, biophysicist, cas9, cas9 enzymes, crispr, david taylor, DNA, enzyme, eva nogales, fuguo jiang, genetic element, genetically engineered, genome editing tool, guide rna, jennifer doudna, microbes, spycas, streptococcus pyogenes

Berkeley Researchers Show Expanded Role for Guide RNA in Cas9 Interactions with DNA

The potential is there for bacteria and other microbes to be genetically engineered to perform a cornucopia of valuable goods and services, from the production of safer, more effective medicines and clean, green, sustainable fuels, to the clean-up and restoration of our air, water and land. Cells from eukaryotic organisms can also be modified for research or to fight disease. To achieve these and other worthy goals, the ability to precisely edit the instructions contained within a target’s genome is a must. A powerful new tool for genome editing and gene regulation has emerged in the form of a family of enzymes known as Cas9, which plays a critical role in the bacterial immune system. Cas9 should become an even more valuable tool with the creation of the first detailed picture of its three-dimensional shape by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley. (more…)

UCLA life scientists, colleagues differentiate microbial good and evil

By Guest PostJanuary 11, 2014Scienceacidic soils, agents of infection, ammonia, ann hirsch, annette angus, atmosphere, australia, b pseudomallei, bacteria, bacterial genus burkholderia, bioterrorist agent, burkholderia cepacia, burkholderia tuberum, caenorhabditis elegans, christina agapakis, climate change, evolutionary lineage, fertilize crops, microbial, nitrogen fixation, pathogenic strains, pathogens, paul yang, protein rich crops, southern hemisphere, stephanie fong, symbiotic burkholderia species, Thailand, ucla life scientists

To safely use bacteria in agriculture to help fertilize crops, it is vital to understand the difference between harmful and healthy strains. The bacterial genus Burkholderia, for example, includes dangerous disease-causing pathogens — one species has even been listed as a potential bioterrorist agent — but also many species that are safe and important for plant development.

Can the microbial good and evil be told apart? Yes, UCLA life scientists and an international team of researchers report Jan. 8 in the online journal PLOS ONE. (more…)

No peak in sight for evolving bacteria

By Guest PostDecember 6, 2013Sciencebacteria, Environment, frozen fossil record, generation, mathematical function, michael wiser, michigan state university, noah ribeck, population, power law, quantitatively, richard lenski, Science, set of mutations, simple environment

There’s no peak in sight – fitness peak, that is – for the bacteria in Richard Lenski’s Michigan State University lab.

Lenski, MSU Hannah Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, has been running his evolutionary bacteria experiment for 25 years, generating more than 58,000 generations. In a paper published in the current issue of Science, Michael Wiser, lead author and MSU zoology graduate student in Lenski’s lab, compares it to hiking. (more…)

First Step to Reduce Plant Need for Nitrogen Fertilizer Uncovered in Science Study

By Guest PostOctober 13, 2013Sciencebacteria, beneficial relationship, gary stacey, mechanism, nitrogen fertilizer, pathogen, plant, plant need, rhizobia, soybeans, tomatoes, university of missouri, yan liang

MU scientists say discovery could save farmers billions and protect the environment.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Nitrogen fertilizer costs U.S. farmers approximately $8 billion each year, and excess fertilizer can find its way into rivers and streams, damaging the delicate water systems. Now, a discovery by a team of University of Missouri researchers could be the first step toward helping crops use less nitrogen, benefitting both farmers’ bottom lines and the environment. The journal Science published the research this month.

Gary Stacey, an investigator in the MU Bond Life Sciences Center and professor of plant sciences in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, found that crops, such as corn, are “confused” when confronted with an invasive, but beneficial, bacteria known as rhizobia bacteria. When the bacteria interact correctly with a crop, the bacteria receive some food from the plant and, simultaneously, produce nitrogen that most plants need. In his study, Stacey found that many other crops recognize the bacteria, but do not attempt to interact closely with them. (more…)

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