It has been suggested that perhaps only 10% of all species in the world have been named, and new species are discovered on a daily basis. Currently, in an era when scientific research is increasingly published online, the names and descriptions of all new species of algae, fungi and plants still must be lodged as printed copies at the libraries of several botanical institutions.

This existing, somewhat archaic, requirement for printed descriptions of new species to be deposited in relevant institutions has been a frustrating requirement of the code for scientists choosing to publish in online-only journals, such as BMC Evolutionary Biology. They have had to ensure that a printed copy of their article is also archived at several relevant institutions in addition to the version available online. This has become an impediment to science, not to mention creating a great deal of administrative hassle in the more efficient digital age. When the cost to scientists and institutions of subscribing to hard copies of journals is becoming prohibitive, not to mention the delays between article acceptance and publication inherent to publishing in print, why should online-only journals be penalised by the Code?…Read more

300 anganwadi workers protested yesterday, alleging supply of low-grade food and lack of space

The state of welfare schemes for children in Maharashtra is not what one would call ideal, as MiD DAY has pointed out through a series of articles recently. In continuation of the motif, here’s another group that accuses the state of poor implementation of the Centre’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme…Read more

Steven Soderbergh’s viral outbreak thriller Contagion debuts to the top of the box office. Sure, the film was star-studded, and it’s impossible to take your eyes off a killer train wreck. But perhaps its breakout success was due to its awesome moldy, infectious billboard.

To lure moviegoers, living bacteria and fungi were used to create 2 sinister one-of-a-kind billboards – complete with amazing little biohazard icons formed by the microbes. ScienceInsider reports.

First, the microorganisms were seeded onto stenciled letters in a pair of giant acrylic dishes. Then they gradually grew to form the movie’s title behind glass windows erected in an empty storefront in Toronto, where the film premiered…Read more

BRUNSWICK, Maine (NEWS CENTER) – The wet weather this spring may dampen the foliage colors this fall, as the leaves of many maple trees throughout the state have turned brown and dropped prematurely due to above normal levels of fungi.

Particularly hard hit are Norway Maples, which are not native to Maine, but are used extensively in urban landscaping and are more susceptible to tar leaf spot – a form of leaf blight.

“At this time of the year, with that kind of a crown, you shouldn’t be able to see any daylight through there,” explained Bill Ostrofsky, a forest pathologist with the Maine Forest Service, as he walked toward an ailing maple.  “You can see all this marginal browning and discoloration.  Sometimes there are irregular leaf spots on the leaves.”…Read more

Eight people have been sickened by Legionnaires’ disease at a rehabilitation center near Pittsburgh.

The Allegheny County Health Department tells the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ( http://bit.ly/poJVc2) that nobody has died at the LGAR Health & Rehabilitation Center in Turtle Creek, where staff are taking precautions to keep the bacteria-driven illness from spreading.

The bacteria causes pneumonia-like symptoms and can result in a high fever, too.

Health Department director Dr. Bruce Dixon says the bacteria sometimes spreads when facilities install systems from prevent hot water from scalding people, which causes the water to become tepid and conducive to the bacteria…Read more

inding love on the Internet can be an arduous process. Though many Internet dating sites claim to have their own unique algorithms for aiding you in the search, the truth is that choosing a mate among thousands of online profiles often comes down to little more than a gut feeling.

Now there’s a new social network that has succumbed to that concept completely — in the most literal way possible. Called MyMicrobes, the site connects people based entirely upon similarities in their gut bacteria, reports Nature…Read more

CHENNAI: Do you drink water from the dispensers at Chennai airport? You will not, if you know what is in it. Tests conducted by King Institute, which functions under the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, have found that water supplied through dispensers at the airport contains high levels of coliform bacteria that can cause diarrhea and vomiting. What is ironic is that water in a treatment plant sump was found more contaminated than untreated water.

The city airport, frequented by more than 15,000 passengers a day, has more than 100 drinking water dispensers in the domestic and international terminals and other operational areas, and holds about five lakh litres of water. Groundwater and water supplied by Metrowater are used after being treated at a reverse osmosis plant maintained by the Airports Authority of India…Read more

After getting a cut, many Americans will reach for a tube of over-the-counter antibiotic cream to ward off infection. But that widespread habit, a new paper suggests, may be contributing to the rise of one of the most concerning strains of drug-resistant bacteria.

Japanese researchers looked at 261 samples of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), including two samples of the USA300 strain, a type of MRSA that has gained attention for its spread, its frequent presence in the community as well as the hospital, and its link to necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease…Read more

The warming of the world’s oceans can cause serious illness and may cost millions of euros (dollars) in health care.

That is the alarm sounded in a paper released online Tuesday on the eve of a two-day conference in Brussels. The 200-page paper is a synthesis of the findings of more than 100 projects funded by the European Union since 1998. It was produced by Project CLAMER, a collaboration of 17 European marine institutes.

The paper says the rising temperature of ocean water is causing a proliferation of the Vibrio genus of bacteria, which can cause food poisoning, serious gastroenteritis, septicemia and cholera…Read more

Poor sanitation, lack of water and outbreaks of diseases are making the lives of the residents of slums in Karachi even harder.

“The lack of water and improper waste disposal are a big threat to lives due to the risk of waterborne diseases,” Adnan Khan, resident of Frontier Colony in Banaras and assistant professor of microbiology at Karachi University, told The News.

The threat of typhoid, cholera and other diseases from poor sanitation was real, he added.

He further said that the water pipes used in their area were of very low quality with virtually no maintenance. He observed that 30 percent of areas of Karachi had no proper sanitation system. He said that broken sewerage lines running in various slums had made life miserable…Read more