All Harvard Medical School articles
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NewsNewly discovered cyanobacteria could help sequester carbon from oceans and factories
Strains specialized to live in high-CO2 oceanic environments have evolved traits that are useful for decarbonization and bioproduction.
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NewsStudy reveals the hidden complexity of bacterial biofilms
Research reveals insights into the development of bacterial biofilms, highlighting how these communities adapt to environmental stress through complex interactions between physical and biological processes occurring in the surrounding environment.
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NewsCan a drug-free nasal spray protect against deadly respiratory infections?
A novel nasal spray for preventing respiratory infections works by forming a protective coating on the nasal cavity, which captures airborne respiratory droplets and acts as a physical barrier against viruses and bacteria, while effectively neutralizing them.
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NewsWhat enables herpes simplex virus to become impervious to drugs?
Research pinpoints the key to the cold sore virus’s ability to evade treatment, offering broader clues on antiviral drug resistance.
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NewsShared geographic origin of TB strain and human host could boost risk of infection
For some forms of tuberculosis, the chances that an exposed person will get infected depend on whether the individual and the bacteria share a hometown, according to a study comparing how different strains move through mixed populations in cities.
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NewsHow evolution tamed a deadly virus and why we should still worry
The story of the rise and fall of western equine encephalitis as a lethal disease offers essential lessons about how a pathogen can gain or lose its ability to jump from animals to humans.
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NewsGut microbe could hold a key to help people benefit from healthy foods
In a study involving 50,000+ individuals from around the world, higher gut levels of Blastocystis, a single-celled organism commonly found in the digestive system, were linked to more favorable indicators of health.
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NewsVaccine candidate could fight antibiotic resistance
Scientists have announced several discoveries that will help the development of a carbohydrate-based vaccine for infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and its “superbug” relative methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.
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NewsExperts warn climate change will fuel spread of infectious diseases
A team of infectious diseases experts called for more awareness and preparedness in the medical field to deal with the impact of climate change on the spread of diseases. Their article, published in JAMA, raises the alarm about the emergence and spread of harmful pathogens. The authors ...
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NewsScientists discover 18 new species of gut microbes in search for origins of antibiotic resistance
Scientists have found 18 novel species of a type of bacteria called enterococci, which are gut microbes found in most land animals.
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NewsStudy reveals how the immune system fights to keep herpes at bay
A recent study, conducted using lab-engineered cells, unveils the precise maneuvers used by host and herpes simplex virus (HSV) in the fight for dominance of the cell.
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NewsNew understanding of ancient genetic parasite may spur medical breakthroughs
Scientists have published the first high-resolution images and structural details of a virus-like element known as LINE-1, describing it as “an ancient genetic parasite” that is one of the most common parts of human DNA.
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NewsAI tool can help forecast viral outbreaks
A new AI tool called EVEscape uses evolutionary and biological information to predict how a virus could change to escape the immune syste, and successfully predicted the most concerning new variants that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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News$104 million US federal project to tackle antibiotic resistance
The project, studying bacterial behavior and antibiotic resistance, will focus on developing technology to improve diagnosis, speed discovery of new antibiotics, and illuminate basic mechanisms of bacterial behavior.
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NewsRemnants of ancient virus may fuel ALS in people
Researchers have identified a surprising new player in ALS or motor neurone disease - an ancient, virus-like protein best known for its essential role in enabling placental development.
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NewsNeglected 80yo antibiotic tackles AMR bacteria
An old antibiotic may provide much-needed protection against multi-drug resistant bacterial infections, according to a new study.
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NewsPeptide combats multidrug-resistant bacteria in less than one hour
A synthetic peptide inspired by molecules secreted by the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum has presented promising antibacterial results within one hour in laboratory trials.
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NewsSensor controls how dormant bacteria reawaken
Researchers have discovered a new kind of cellular sensor that allows spores to detect the presence of nutrients in their environment and quickly spring back to life.
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NewsResearchers reveal why viruses like SARS-CoV-2 can reinfect hosts and evade immune response
Using a tool called VirScan, Brigham investigators found that people produced shared antibody responses to certain regions of the virus, likely leading to selective pressure and new variants that can repeatedly escape detection by prior immunity.
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NewsCommercial water purification system may have caused Mycobacterium infection in 4 hospitalized patients
A study of four cardiac surgery patients in one hospital found that they developed Mycobacterium abscessus infections, a multidrug-resistant nontuberculous mycobacteria, potentially due to a commercial water purifier.
