Bacteria

Here's a rather novel way to keep trash out of landfills: engineering biologists have developed a way to turn common plastic bottles into the popular painkiller paracetamol. All it takes is a bit of bacteria and time to ferment the treated waste.

Ultraviolet light is well-known for its ability to kill germs, including ones that cause food to spoil. And while there doesn't tend to be any food-preserving UV light in our refrigerators, a new consumer device is out to change that.

Engineers from Montana State University have developed a building material using the root-like mycelium network of a fungus. It's the first time fungal mycelium has been tested as a scaffold for living materials.

We're going to be on the Moon more often soon, and we'll need places to rest and work there. Building habitats and maintaining them will be tough, but bacteria could come to the rescue by helping repair cracked bricks made from lunar soil.

In Kentucky, bourbon demand is expected to double in the next five years, while the state's cattle population has reached its lowest point since 1951. Here's how these facts could combine to turn bourbon distilleries into a new source of biofuels.

Researchers have prototyped sensor-packed robot bugs that mimic biological digestive systems to meet energy needs, employ a Janus interface for a steady supply of nutrients and move on the water's surface like a water strider.

To help combat the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, researchers have been experimenting for years with drug-free methods to blast disease-causing bugs. A new type of stainless steel does exactly that, in a convenient and affordable way.

Pothos plants are already known for being particularly good at purifying indoor air, so imagine if it were possible to make them 30 times better at doing so. Neoplants claims its Neo PX system does just that, using special soil-dwelling bacteria.

Hospitals are meant to heal people, but patients often pick up superbugs during their stay. Scientists have now developed long-lasting antimicrobial coatings for textiles that could allow hospital curtains to quickly kill viruses and bacteria.

Concrete may seem strong, but it can be surprisingly vulnerable to the elements. Now researchers at Drexel University have demonstrated a type of self-healing concrete embedded with “BioFibers” that use bacteria to patch up cracks as they form.

For all its uses, plastic is unfortunately one of our least sustainable materials. Now, scientists at Berkeley Lab have developed a way to engineer bacteria to produce raw materials that can be made into plastics that are completely recyclable.

Nylon can be found everywhere in modern life, from the clothes we wear to the seatbelts in our cars. The problem is that producing it can be a dirty business, but researchers say a new method can make nylon production significantly greener.