Gut microbes' partnership helps body extract energy from food, store it as fat
...eractions between members of our vast community of friendly gut microorganisms have shown that two common orga...ts. Gordon's lab models the interactions between friendly gut microbes and their hosts using gnotobiotic mice. These mice are raised in a manner that keeps th...Better sludge through metagenomics
... most economically accomplished by environmentally friendly biological means in a process known as enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). The researchers were able to obtain a nearly complete genetic blueprint for a key player in this process, the bacterial species Accumulibacter phosphatis. Activa...Most widely used organic pesticide requires help to kill
...s of one of the most important and environmentally friendly weapons in the human arsenal against insect pests has significant implications not only for the control of insects in agriculture, forestry and human health, but for understanding microbial disease in humans and other animals. "The take-home messag...BC catalyst discovery promises faster, cheaper drug production
...ns no metals and is therefore more environmentally friendly than many other catalysts. "The new catalyst is easy to prepare, requires little or no solvent and therefore minimizes waste, and can be used in air and can be recycled several times," Prof. Snapper added. "Together, these properties make our disco...Genetically engineered blood protein can be used to split water into oxygen and hydrogen
...hetic molecules may provide a more environmentally friendly way of producing hydrogen, which can be used as a 'green' fuel." ...New approach could lower antibiotic requirements by 50 times
...r doses of antibiotic needed would not disrupt the friendly bacteria in the gut - a big problem with conventional antibiotic treatments. 'The prospect of using such treatments to prolong the life of existing agents and delay the onset of widespread resistance is to be welcomed,' said Jim Spencer a lecturer ...New biofuels process promises to meet all US transportation needs
...ical engineers have proposed a new environmentally friendly process for producing liquid fuels from plant matter - or biomass - potentially available from agricultural and forest waste, providing all of the fuel needed for "the entire U.S. transportation sector." The new approach modifies conventional method...A rarity among arachnids, whip spiders have a sociable family life
...s. "This was the best example I had ever seen of friendly behavior in an arachnid," said Linda Rayor, senior research associate in entomology and the lead author of both articles. Rayor describes in the articles how mothers habitually stroke their offspring with their long, thin whiplike front legs and how ...Pesticides choke pathway for nature to produce nitrogen for crops
...e plants secrete chemical signals that recruit the friendly bacteria, which work with the plants to convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia that, then, is used as fertilizer by the plants. "Agrichemicals are blocking the host plant's phytochemical recruitment signal," said the study's lead author, Jennif...