In one of the most interesting conclusions ever to be derived from a scientific study, researchers learned recently that bacteria, microorganisms that exist virtually anywhere on the planet, have a sense of smell.

This is a very interesting discovery, considering that fact that some of the worst smells you can name most likely come from decomposing bacteria, or bacteria that are decomposing something.

The new finding was made by a group of marine microbiologists from the Newcastle University, in the United Kingdom, ScienceDaily reports.

The molecular nose outfitted on the bacteria enables the tiny living organisms to detect chemicals such as ammonia in their surrounding, chemicals that can go airborne, and also produce smells.

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PNA FISH uses fluorescent-labeled PNA [peptide nucleic acid] probes in a highly sensitive and specific 2.5 hours fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay targeting the species-specific ribosomal RNA (rRNA) in microbes. Once a blood culture turns positive, a Gram stain is performed and based on the results the appropriate PNA FISH test is selected.

Following the Gram stain result, a drop from the positive blood culture is fixed onto a microscope slide. PNA probe is added and hybridizes to the rRNA within the target microbes (S. aureus, C. albicans, E. faecalis, other enterococci, etc.). Excess probe is removed during a stringent wash step and the slides are visualized using fluorescence microscopy. Fluorescing cells identify the target microbe while non-florescence indicates the presense of a different microbe in the blood culture.

Source: medGadget

Smelly feet may be the price we have to pay for saving the planet. A new study reported by New Scientist has discovered that nanoparticles commonly found in antibacterial socks may be inadvertently raising levels of greenhouse gases.

Researchers were worried that silver nanoparticles– antibacterial agents used in a range of products, including odor-free socks– were escaping into the water system and killing friendly bacteria often used to treat wastewater.

“We are trying to find out what happens when these silver nanoparticles get into the real environment,” said Benjamin Colman, a chemist from Duke University who conducted the study. “These particles are developed with the express purpose of killing things.”

Previously, all research done on the environmental impacts of silver nanoparticles has been limited to their effects on a single microbe species within a lab. To better mimic the impact of silver in a real setting, Colman and colleagues instead looked at how high dosages effected a sample of stream water and soil in the lab. They also set up two outdoor tubs, one filled with nanoparticle-free sludge as a control, and another dosed with a concentration of nanoparticles similar to levels found in wastewater.

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Some patients fail to respond to treatment for intestinal infections perhaps because they are lacking certain protective bacteria, found in the human gut.

Our gastrointestinal tracts are teeming with trillions of bacteria, where they make essential amino acids and vitamins, help regulate our immune systems and break down starches and proteins.

Unfortunately, the interaction of man and bacteria is a grey area for scientists, who have surprisingly little idea about this symbiotic relationship, reports the Telegraph.

Thanks to the Human Microbiome Project, all this is about to change. An ambitious research exercise funded by the US, it could have implications equal in importance to the Human Genome Project that preceded it.

The project is dedicated to sequencing the genomes, the genetic content of the 900 or so species of microbes found in our bodies that scientists have so far been able to culture in the lab.

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Since 2003, biologists have tried to get rid of this algae which kills coral reef by using a suction device, but now, they’ve found something better.Sea urchins love eating algae and voracious grazers chew through fragments and metabolize that and be a natural control for the algae.The alien algae were imported to Hawaii in the 1970s for experimental projects but were later abandoned and soon began to spread uncontrollably. But by placing 1,200 urchins on a patch reef in the bay, researchers have seen a significant change over the last year.

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The fungus grows inside the ants and releases chemicals that affect their behaviour. Some ants leave the colony and wander off to find fresh leaves on their own, while others fall from their tree-top havens on to leaves nearer the ground.

The final stage of the parasitic death sentence is the most macabre. In their last hours, infected ants move towards the underside of the leaf they are on and lock their mandibles in a “death grip” around the central vein, immobilising themselves and locking the fungus in position.

“This can happen en masse. You can find whole graveyards with 20 or 30 ants in a square metre. Each time, they are on leaves that are a particular height off the ground and they have bitten into the main vein before dying,” said David Hughes at Harvard University.

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More than 200 varieties of mushroom were on display at the Devonian Botanic Garden on Sunday, as the Alberta Mycological Society held a unique exposition.

The goal was to showcase the various roles the fungi play in our lives, from culinary inspiration, to medicinal qualities, to preserving local ecosystems.

“They are probably the most fascinating organisms,” said Roland Treu, who studies the spore-bearing fruit at the University of Athabasca.

“They are kind of mysterious.”

With a generous fall of rain this year, a rich array of mushrooms have popped up across the province. But experts have a warning for backyard harvesters – some species are poisonous.

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For decades scientists have attempted to identify the genes that allow certain natural organisms to directly convert biomass into alkanes. To solve this mystery, the LS9 team looked into the genomes of bacteria that produce alkanes in nature – cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. “We evaluated many cyanobacteria that made alkanes and identified one that was not capable of producing them. By comparing the genome sequences of the producing and non‐producing organisms, we were able to identify the responsible genes,” according to Andreas Schirmer, Associate Director of Metabolic Engineering at LS9.

LS9 has focused on developing renewable petroleum products using a one‐step fermentation process that reduces cost and energy inputs.  Proposed biological routes to hydrocarbon production are emerging but require costly and energy-intense chemical conversion technologies such as distillation or hydrogenation. LS9’s discovery could mean the direct conversion of renewable biomass into fuels and chemicals without the need for chemical conversion technologies.

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With that ultimate goal in mind, Kent SeaTech changed its name to Kent BioEnergy and is researching the most efficient ways to grow and harvest algae in 25 acres of green-hued ponds.

Van Olst said the company has about a dozen patents and others pending, including one for a process by which algae is made to clump and fall to the bottom of tanks for easy collection.

Al Darzins, the applied science group manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, said Kent BioEnergy is one of about 100 companies worldwide trying to develop algae for commercial use and competing for private and government funding.

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University of Florida assistant professor Michelle Danyluk was honored Wednesday evening with the Larry Beauchat Young Researcher Award from the International Association for Food Protection.

The award recognizes a member of the group who has shown outstanding ability and professional promise in the field of food microbiology and food safety.

Danyluk has developed a nationally noted food microbiology and safety program in citrus and other commodities, such as almonds and tropical juices. Her multistate “farm to fork” activities include leafy green food safety initiatives and the National Tree Crop Food Safety Research Symposia.

Since joining UF/IFAS in 2007, Danyluk has attracted more than $1 million for her research and extension programs and nearly $4 million to UF research overall.

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