Microbes, Bacteria, Viruses

Bacteriophage P2 using Transmission Electron Microscope

Ancient Poop Had Antibiotic Resistance Genes, Too

14th century feces not so different from today

Camels Have Been Carrying Around a Deadly, Contagious Virus For At Least Twice As Long As Anyone Realized

Over the past twenty years, cases of the MERS virus might have gone undetected in infected humans

The Cat Parasite That Causes Toxoplasmosis Is Turning Up in Beluga Whales

Native Inuits who eat Beluga whales risk infection if the meat is not thoroughly disinfected by cooking

A locust swarm in Israel.

Grasshopper Gut Parasites Could Stop Ruinous Locust Swarms

The microbes confuse the chemical signals that tell pestilent locusts: swarm!

One of the first "sneeze guards" appeared in Johnny Garneau's American Style Smorgasbord in Monroeville 1958.

How the "Sneeze Guard" Changed Buffet Tables Forever

A germaphobe invented the protective glass barrier over your all-you-can eat meal in 1959

School girls line up to receive vaccinations between classes.

How Humankind Got Ahead of Infectious Disease

With polio on the verge of eradication, a career immunologist explains the medical marvel of vaccination and the pioneers who made it possible

Malaria parasites infect two blood cells.

Scientists Find a New Way to Exploit and Attack Malaria

The stealthy parasite kills one million people a year; there may be a drug that can stop its deadly damage

The crustacean Cymothoa exigua is the first known parasite to functionally replace an entire organ of an animal.

Top 10 Real-Life Body Snatchers

Parasites and zombies are not science fiction; they infest rats, crickets, ants, moths and other creatures, sucking the life out of them

In the worst animal epidemic in years, white-nose syndrome threatens to wipe out some bat species.

What Is Killing the Bats?

Can scientists stop white-nose syndrome, a new disease that is killing bats in catastrophic numbers?

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is responsible for the spread of the chikungunya virus. The virus causes joint pain so excruciating victims can't stand or sit upright for weeks or months at a time.

The Next West Nile Virus?

The chikungunya virus has escaped Africa and is traveling around the world via a widespread, invasive, voracious mosquito

"Bacteria can talk to each other," says Bonnie Bassler. "Not only can they talk, but they are multilingual." And she knows how to speak their languages.

Listening to Bacteria

By studying microbial communications, Bonnie Bassler has come up with new ways to treat disease

Angela Belcher got her powerful idea from an abalone shell.

Invisible Engineering

Chemist Angela Belcher looks to manufacture high technology out of viruses

Everything that lives on the Galapagos Islands now flew in on the wind, rode a freak current, or floated on a raft of vegetation.

Top Ten Places Where Life Shouldn't Exist... But Does

Smithsonian lists the most improbable, inhospitable and absurd habitats on Earth

Explorer Robert Scott built a hut at Cape Evans during his 1910-1913 expedition; all five members of his team perished.

Finding Feisty Fungi in Antarctica

In a place where no one believed they existed–-treeless Antartica–wood fungi are feasting on polar exploration relics

A Martian meteorite fueled speculation and debate in 1996 when scientists reported that it held signs of past life. The search now moves to Mars itself.

Life on Mars?

It's hard enough to identify fossilized microbes on Earth. How would we ever recognize them on Mars?

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The Return of the Phage

As deadly bacteria increasingly resist antibiotics, researchers try to improve a World War I era weapon

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The Vast Influence of the Wee Microbe

A Hypochondriac Knows Those 'Germs' That Threaten Him Are Real

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