Microbiology
Rare rains bring death to microbes of the Mars-Like Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is the driest and oldest desert on earth. It has been an arid place for the last 150 million years, and hyperarid (an extremely dry place) for the last 15 million years. In the Atacama, rain is extremely rare,... click to read more
A bacterium with the power of changing the course of Human history
Our work started when we discovered that Neolithic farmers from Sweden from 4,900 years ago were infected with Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague, one of the most devastating infectious diseases of all times. This finding could potentially explain, why there was an unexpectedly... click to read more
Finding Dracula’s silver bullet: the fight against a bloodthirsty fungus
That's correct, the darkness loving, light fearing, blood sucking prince of darkness, Count Dracula was a fungus. In our recent research, we describe that just like Dracula, the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus "wants your blood". The parallels are uncanny, both prefer dark places (Dracula: a coffin,... click to read more
Virus infection: may the (binding) force be with you?
Virus-related infections are diseases we have all experienced. From the common flu or cold to hepatitis, mononucleosis, and AIDS, viruses are the lead cause of numerous illnesses. Even though trillions of virus particles peacefully occupy our inner body, some others are real troublemakers. But why... click to read more
Gut bacteria orchestrate the transmission of overweight from mother to babe
Women who are overweight during pregnancy often deliver large babies by cesarean section, who have a greater chance of becoming overweight themselves as they grow older. A popular explanation for this mother-infant transmission of overweight is that the mother vaginally transfers "obesogenic" bacteria to her... click to read more
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