News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
Scientists may have discovered a new way of tackling the lingering, debilitating effects of Lyme disease, the tick-borne illness that can lead to flu-like symptoms and a rash called erythema migrans. The latest research suggests that dead fragments of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, continue to hang around in the body … Read more
The human gut is the host of a rampant microscopic orgy. To survive, the microbes in our digestive tract are having ‘sex’ with each other on a regular basis, all in the name of swapping secrets on how to survive deadly doses of antibiotics. A team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign … Read more
Wounds in the gut can cause dangerous infections, but a sticky medical dressing can patch them up and allow them to heal Technology 2 February 2022 By Alex Wilkins A duct tape-inspired bandage bioadhesive patch Xuanhe Zhao et al. A transparent dressing inspired by duct tape has been shown to quickly heal internal injuries in … Read more
A survey of birds entering an Australian animal hospital shows a huge number of them carry chlamydia, including strains never seen before in Australia Life 31 January 2022 By Alice Klein The laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae), native to Australia electra kay-smith / Alamy Nearly one-third of hospitalised Australian birds are carrying chlamydia, including some novel … Read more
Microorganisms have adapted to one of the harshest environments on Earth, a sulphurous and acidic lake that is considered an analogue to ancient lakes on Mars Space 28 January 2022 By Chen Ly A volcanic crater in Costa Rica with an extremely harsh lake known as Laguna Caliente Justin Wang Bacteria have adapted to survive … Read more
It was thought that microbes in sediments beneath the seafloor died above 80°C, but scientists have found some that can survive up to 120°C and possibly higher temperatures Life 25 January 2022 By Michael Le Page Bubbles coming out of a cave in the Pacific seabed near Japan 7maru/Getty Images Living microbes have been found … Read more
After 700 days of antibiotic treatment, the infection of a 30-year-old bombing attack victim still raged. Tragically, the patient had suffered life-threatening injuries during the attacks at Brussels airport on 22 March 2016. Over the next three years, she faced numerous medical complications, as her fracture-related wound became infected with pan-drug-resistant bacteria, or what we … Read more
Plastic straws are increasingly being avoided for both health and environmental reasons, but the alternatives all have their downsides – until now Technology 17 January 2022 By Leah Crane Paper straws are not ideal Benjamin John/Alamy When it comes to drinking with a straw, there is no perfect option – plastic straws can release microplastics … Read more
By Michael Le Page Universal Images Group via Getty LISTERIOSIS kills hundreds of people every year in Europe alone. The bacterium that causes it, Listeria monocytogenes, can contaminate all kinds of foods and keeps growing even in fridges. But if you live in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Israel, you probably have … Read more
Bacterial colonies can organize themselves into complex ring-like patterns which have an “intriguing similarity” to developing embryos and were thought to be unique to plants and animals, new research suggests. Bacterial cells band together in clumps to form tightly packed colonies called biofilms that have a growing reputation for acting strangely like multicellular organisms. … Read more