Microbiology
Absent microbial teachers and immunological hooliganism
The trillions of microbes that live in our gastrointestinal tract are known as the gut microbiome. It is an "acquired organ" of the body that is essential for the development of immune and metabolic systems and for nutrient digestion and absorption, among other things. As... click to read more
Consumed to death: bacteria cause their own extinction by over-polluting the environment
Living means consuming resources, we buy food to get fed, clothes to stay warm and burn oil and coal to have energy. Where things are consumed waste is produced. However, this waste does not simply disappear but mountains of trash form, plastic covers the ocean... click to read more
Discovery of high-order drug synergies – from impossible to dirt cheap
By combining two or more drugs together (synergistic drug approach) it is possible to obtain a greater effect than with an individual drug alone. For example, the treatment of many diseases, ranging from cancer to tuberculosis to chronic diseases, depends on the use of three... click to read more
Killing C. difficile with targeted strikes
Clostridium difficile is a bacterium that causes hundreds of thousands of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea cases every year, and these infections often prove fatal. Usually, C. difficile is unable to cause disease as the bacterium is kept in check by the friendly bacteria in the gut; the... click to read more
The unexpected partner(s): a billion viruses
What constitutes a human body? What is it that makes your body, your own? If we begin to break it down, you can easily see that your body is covered with a layer of hair and skin. Beneath that lie your circulatory systems, bones and... click to read more
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