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Three million years ago, a gene mutation switched off a sugar-making enzyme in early hominids. Our ancestors actually became unable to breed with those who still had the enzyme, possibly causing the emergence of our evolutionary grandparent, Homo erectus. More »
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The single-celled parasite Toxoplasma gondii lives infects rats, but it needs to be inside a cat's digestive system in order to reproduce. The parasite actually alters the brain of its rat host so that it won't be afraid of cats. More »
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Sooty mangabeys are a monkey species found on the western coast of central Africa. Their unique immunity to SIV, a relative of HIV, has intrigued medical researchers for decades. Now we know just how their immunity works. More »
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Doctors may be able to kill off persistent staph infections using a cheap and easy method. A little boost of sugar can help kill the type of bacteria that regular antibiotics miss. More »
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The visible concentric circles you see in this picture show a bacteria swarm as the colony starts and stops its progress. Now Spanish researchers have discovered a key component of infectious bacteria's battle plan - and how to stop it. More »
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Although some kinds of nanomaterials (like carbon nanotubes) can be harmful to your health, scientists are quickly developing nanoparticle therapies that can fight cancer and bacterial infections better than any of our current medications. More »
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You've probably heard that all the antibiotics we take are breeding new generations of drug-resistant bacteria. In fact, many diseases we once killed easily with Penicillin now require mega-doses of super-antibiotics like Cipro. While researchers have known for a long time that bacteria are developing resistance to drugs, they weren't sure how the tiny organisms did it. Now a research team at the University of Illinois has figured it out — and that means we're like to see new, smarter antibiotics (you can see the chemical structure of one such antibiotic, Erythromycin, at left). More »
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Your next kiss could turn into an infection that eats your lips off. San Francisco and Boston are reporting outbreaks of drug-resistant staph bacteria that cannot be stopped with any antibiotics currently being used to fight them. When the bacteria come into contact with your skin, they can burrow into tiny cuts and create infections so severe that it's as if the microbes are eating your flesh. The staph is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, especially sexual contact. Right now, it's hitting mostly gay communities but researchers warn it's about to jump into the mainstream population. More »
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