Small animals that carry disease adapt well to our activities A study suggests that small mammals like rodents and birds have adapted to thrive after urban development of wild land. These animals are also more likely to carry human pathogens.

February 11, 2021 by Sriram Devata Read More

Using Reishi mushrooms to filter methane out of the atmosphere Both living and dead fungi were tested for their ability to capture methane from the atmosphere. Surprisingly, dead fungi performed the best and have high potential for reducing methane levels.

January 11, 2021 by Mary Sabuda Read More

Fungi may be able to help clean up polluted water A few species of fungi were tested for their ability to clean up wastewaters contaminated with selenium. With additional nutrients added, it mostly worked. The fungi Alternaria showed great potential for cleaning up water polluted with selenite.

November 24, 2020 by Mary Sabuda Read More

What beached whales can teach us about antibiotic resistance Researchers found that more than half of the bacteria collected from stranded cetaceans in the Philippines showed antimicrobial resistance to commonly used drugs.

September 17, 2020 by Ma. Francesca Santiago Read More

Early Martian life may have used sulfur as an energy source Using an environment on Earth that simulates early Mars conditions, researchers found an abundance of bacteria that get their energy from sulfur-containing molecules, suggesting a new focus in the search for biosignatures on the Red Planet.

September 7, 2020 by Brooke Carruthers Read More

microgreens in dirt

Disease-causing bacteria can grow on hydroponic microgreen mats Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes are two bacteria that can make you sick when eating contaminated produce. It turns out, some microgreen grow mats might be a breeding ground for these bacteria.

July 2, 2020 by Gina Misra Read More

A new way to look for signs of ancient life on Earth and Mars Scientists have found that high concentrations of rare elements might be evidence of life near ancient hot springs.

June 5, 2020 by Andrea Corpolongo Read More

Can cigarette butts on the beach influence the local environment? A study of burned and unburned cigarettes found that water chemistry and microbes living in Mediterranean beach sediments changed after 4 days of exposure to a cigarette filter.

May 22, 2020 by Mary Sabuda Read More

Strange microbes found living in caves of sulfuric acid Researchers studying a sulfuric acid cave in Italy are among the first to describe organisms found living in gypsum, an acidic mineral deposit found on the cave walls.

May 20, 2020 by Mackenzie Best Read More

Antibody testing for coronavirus: what does the science say? Antibody-based testing may be able to catch positive cases missed by PCR, but it is still not accurate enough to be used as a standalone test. For best results, it should be combined with PCR testing and doctors' observations.

May 18, 2020 by Tony Jia Read More