Tag: "bacteria"
The Fungus Among Us Could Help Clean Oily Soil
There’s more to fungi than just mushrooms. Buried in the soil live large fiber networks of fungi. And these fibrous microbes might be able to help clean up polluted soil.
Post on Jun 06, 2012 by Melissae Fellet from QUEST Northern California
Redesigning Life
All living things pretty much use the same language to read their genes. That is about to change.
Post on Aug 15, 2011 by Dr. Barry Starr from QUEST Northern California
It Came From Mono Lake
The world is buzzing about the bacteria from Mono Lake, a strain of bacteria that can substitute the element arsenic for phosphorus into the backbone of its DNA.
Post on Dec 06, 2010 by Jennifer Skene
Arsenic-Eating Bacteria Expands Definition of Life
A Bay Area biochemist has found a new strain of bacteria living in the briny shores of Mono Lake that can not only eat arsenic, a substance highly toxic to most organisms, but thrive on it.
Post on Dec 02, 2010 by Sheraz Sadiq
Producer's Notes: The Plastic Breakdown
Life was easier back before I produced this piece. Now everywhere I look and everything I touch seems to be made of plastic.
Post on Apr 20, 2010 by Jon Fromer
Anti-bacterial Soap: is the Medicine Worse Than the Cure?
Even if you are not handling reptiles daily like we are, you can take action to reduce exposure to toxic anti-microbials.
Post on Sep 02, 2009 by Cat
Producer's Notes: Decoding Synthetic Biology
Synthetic biology portends big changes in our lives by ushering in a dizzying array of applications in everything from medicine to biofuels, environmental remediation to agriculture.
Post on Jul 21, 2009 by Sheraz Sadiq
Swine Flu – A Virus or a Bacteria?
Swine Flu has been blanketing the news as of late. On April 29th, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the first US fatality occurring in Texas. The CDC has determined that this swine influenza A(H1N1) virus is contagious and spreading from human to human. Yet at this time, they do not know how easily the virus spreads between people. At our museum, we have taken this very seriously and staff has been asked to stay home if symptoms arise.
Post on Apr 30, 2009 by Cat
Reporter's Notes: Medicine from the Ocean Floor
Scientists gather samples on the ocean floor. Credit: Roger Linington.There's nothing new about looking to nature to cure disease – we've been doing it for thousands of years, with good results. (Two recent examples: The active ingredient in aspirin was first identified in the bark of the willow tree. And we have the Pacific yew [...]
Post on Mar 20, 2009 by Amy Standen
A Long and Winding DNA
How long would the DNA from every living thing on Earth stretch? Could we make it to the next star? The next galaxy? The end of the Universe?
Post on Feb 02, 2009 by Dr. Barry Starr
Traveling DNA
A billion years ago or so, mitochondria were free living bacteria. Then our ancestors hijacked them and now they do our bidding. And mitochondria aren't the only cells that got hijacked.
Post on Jan 08, 2009 by Dr. Barry Starr
Reporter's Notes: Looking for Mars Life on Planet Earth
When I hear about searching for alien life, it's hard not to think about all those science fiction movies with little green men and Earth-destroying spacecraft. But it's an idea that's far from science fiction for scientists at NASA Ames.
Post on Nov 14, 2008 by Lauren Sommer
Reporter's Notes: Food Safety
We put this story on the calendar back in September, before melamine-tainted milk started making headlines in China. We'd been planning to focus on criticism of FDA's handling of imported fresh produce, and had to recast the piece when it became clear that the concerns around food safety were much broader.
Post on Nov 07, 2008 by Amy Standen
Have sewage, will travel
Unless our sewage happens to end up in the Bay and in the headlines, most of us probably never give a second thought to where our wastewater is headed each time we run the tap or flush the toilet. To learn more about the travels of sewage, I took a tour of the Las Gallinas [...]
Post on May 06, 2008 by Ann Dickinson
SF's Hometown Bacteria
If Chicago has deep dish pizza and Boston has cream pie, San Francisco has sourdough bread. And just like the pizza and pie, San Francisco sourdough just isn't the same outside its hometown. But that's because only San Francisco is home to a certain bacterium that bears its name– Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis. Of course bread uses [...]
Post on Mar 06, 2008 by Amber Dance
