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A Beneficial Bacterium Helps Wounds Heal

Sneha Khedkar | Dec 2, 2024 | 5 min read

A bacterium found in the wound microbiome can accelerate healing, highlighting the potential for microbiota-based wound therapies.

Image of a showerhead with running water. There is a soap dispenser and toothbrush on a wire shelf in the shower.

A Viral Investigation of Bathroom Biomes

Laura Tran, PhD | Nov 26, 2024 | 4 min read

Hidden on toothbrushes and showerheads, bacteriophages reveal a viral ecosystem and its potential to create healthier living spaces.

Vector illustration of researchers and doctors investigating gastrointestinal disorder detection and treatment.

Detecting Gastrointestinal Pathogens with Molecular Diagnostics

The Scientist Creative Services Team in collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific | 1 min read

Explore how PCR diagnostics support timely detection, targeted treatment, and surveillance of gastrointestinal pathogens.

A cartoon of pills and bacteria along the human intestine.

An Antibiotic That Distinguishes Friend from Foe

Sneha Khedkar | Nov 19, 2024 | 4 min read

A novel compound targets an essential transport system found only in disease-causing bacteria, leaving commensal bacteria unharmed.

A person works with their sourdough starter in the kitchen.

Bakers Rise Up to Tackle Sourdough Mysteries

Laura Tran, PhD | Nov 15, 2024 | 2 min read

Donated sourdough starters helped researchers uncover the factors that influence microbial communities in these living cultures.

Spying on the Enemy: Using Bacteria to Fight Antibiotic Resistance

The Scientist Staff | 1 min read

Discover how scientists engineer systems constructed from bacterial components to investigate and combat antimicrobial resistance.

Close up of ultraviolet light box during the preparation of an agarose electrophoresis gel used in DNA separation.

Automate and Illuminate Bioimaging Assays

The Scientist Staff | Nov 15, 2024 | 2 min read

Intuitive and automated chemiluminescence detection empowers scientists with accessible image acquisition and analyses.

Modern open plan office with white desks, computers, and chairs in the foreground and a vertical plant wall in the background.

Rewilding Urban Spaces Boosts Immune Health

Danielle Gerhard, PhD | Nov 15, 2024 | 2 min read

From daycares to indoor gardens, scientists are bringing nature back into cities to improve immune regulation.

Exploring the Gut Microbiome’s Role in Neurodegeneration

The Scientist Staff | 1 min read

In this webinar, Sarkis Mazmanian and Gautam Dantas will discuss how researchers study the roles that endogenous gut microbes play in influencing the body’s response to neural injury and disease.

A herd of elephants is walking in a river in a forest.

Elephant Deaths Trigger a Kodo-Millet Fungus Investigation in India

Sneha Khedkar | Nov 14, 2024 | 4 min read

When multiple elephants were found dead in a national park in India, microbiologists turned to investigate their prime suspect: fungi.

A doctor holds a model of the female reproductive system.

Modeling the Human Cervix on a USB-Sized Chip

Sneha Khedkar | Nov 13, 2024 | 4 min read

Microfluidic chips that mimic the complex human cervical environment provide a platform to study the reproductive tract and associated infections like bacterial vaginosis.

Linking Fasting to Health and the Gut Microbiome

The Scientist | 1 min read

Alex Mohr discusses a trial comparing various calorie-restricted diets on the gut microbiome and overall health measures.

Photo of a brown soy pulp patty sitting in a cream sauce alongside a cucumber and tomato salad and baked yams.

How Can Fungi Address the Global Food Waste Problem?

Danielle Gerhard, PhD | Nov 12, 2024 | 8 min read

Scientists are reimagining the food system, turning to fungal fermentation as a sustainable method for transforming food byproducts into tasty treats.

3D illustration of white Candida albicans yeast cells growing against host tissue.

A Fungal Messenger Impairs Immune Cell Function

Shelby Bradford, PhD | Nov 8, 2024 | 3 min read

Farnesol, a fungal signaling molecule, alters lipid synthesis in dendritic cells, causing mitochondrial dysfunction and decreased inflammatory responding.

A conceptual illustration of a few red-colored human silhouettes interspersed among many blue-colored silhouettes.

Sexually Transmitted Infections: The Silent Epidemic

The Scientist Creative Services Team in collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific | 1 min read

Advanced diagnostic testing methods empower scientists to swiftly and precisely detect STIs.

3D illustration of dark, oval parasites invading translucent host cells with blue nuclei.

Live Imaging Intracellular Parasites Reveals Changes to Host Metabolism

Shelby Bradford, PhD | Nov 6, 2024 | 4 min read

Researchers found that Toxoplasma gondii increased the host cell’s metabolic activity, offering insights into potential treatment strategies.

Bluish-grey circles of fuzzy mold grow in a Petri dish.

How a Moldy Cantaloupe Took Fleming’s Penicillin from Discovery to Mass Production

Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Nov 4, 2024 | 10+ min read

Alexander Fleming’s 1928 discovery of a mold with antibacterial properties was only the first serendipitous event on the long road to penicillin as a life-saving drug.