All Northwestern University articles
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NewsViruses are teeming on your toothbrush and shower head
There’s a jungle of ‘untapped biodiversity’ in the bathroom, a new study finds.
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NewsWastewater bacteria can break down plastic for food
Researchers have discovered how cells of a Comamonas bacterium break down plastic for food. First, they chew the plastic into small pieces, then secrete an enzyme that breaks down the plastic further, and finally use a ring of carbon atoms as a food source.
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NewsBacterial cells transmit memories to offspring
Bacterial cells can “remember” brief, temporary changes to their bodies and immediate surroundings, a new study has found.
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NewsSafer virus helps eliminate cancer and protect against future tumors
Scientists have discovered that an attenuated (weakened) virus can help eliminate cancer in mice. In addition, mice that were treated with this virus were more resistant to developing tumors later in life.
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NewsSoil bacteria respire more CO2 after sugar-free meals
Researchers have tracked the pathways of a mixture of plant waste as it moves through bacteria’s metabolism to contribute to atmospheric CO2. Microbes respire three times as much CO2 from lignin carbons compared to cellulose carbons, they say.
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NewsRise seen in use of antibiotics for conditions they can’t treat – including COVID-19
A five-year trend study shows a rebound in inappropriate use after an early-pandemic dip, and a need to tackle overuse in all patients during viral illness outbreaks.
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NewsPowerful new AI can predict people’s attitudes to vaccines
A powerful new tool in artificial intelligence is able to predict whether someone is willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The predictive system uses a small set of data from demographics and personal judgments such as aversion to risk or loss.
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NewsNew approach may prevent deadly intestinal disease in preemies
Scientists have found that an investigational protein replacement protected neonatal mice from necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a deadly intestinal disease that often strikes extremely premature infants.
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NewsMicrobe-powered fuel cell runs forever
Researchers have developed a new fuel cell that harvests energy from microbes living in soil.
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NewsFormer goldmine provides a portal to microbial life deep in the Earth’s crust
By accessing the deep underground through a former goldmine-turned-lab in South Dakota’s Black Hills,researchers have pieced together the most complete map to date of the elusive and unusual microbes beneath our feet.
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NewsYucatán’s underwater caves host diverse microbial communities
With help from an experienced underwater cave-diving team, researchers have constructed the most complete map to date of the microbial communities living in the submerged labyrinths beneath Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
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NewsConcerns raised over popular Covid disinfectants
The Covid-19 pandemic has boosted the unnecessary use of antimicrobial chemicals linked to health problems, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental harm, scientists warn.
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NewsScientists discover how plastic-eating bacteria digest complex carbons
Researchers have deciphered the metabolic mechanisms that enable the bacterium Comamonas testosteroni to digest complex wasste from plants and plastics, potentially leading to novel biotechnology platforms that harness the microbe to help recycle plastic waste.
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NewsBiorefinery uses microbial fuel cell to upcycle resistant plant waste
Researchers have developed a sustainable, inexpensive two-step process that can upcycle organic carbon waste - including lignin - transforming it into antioxidant flavonoids for nutrition and medicine. .By processing waste through a microbe-driven biorefinery, the researchers turned lignin into carbon sources that could be used in high-value, plant-derived pharmaceuticals and ...
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NewsConan’s survival in extreme conditions suggests ancient bacteria might lurk beneath Mars’ surface
Researchers have found that ancient bacteria could survive close to the surface on Mars much longer than previously assumed.
