A team of researchers at MIT has produced a new system that combines engineered bacteria that can detect intestinal bleeding with an ingestible electronic circuit that can wirelessly send a signal to a computer.
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The ketogenic diet was developed a century ago to treat children with severe epilepsy, but how it actually worked was always unclear. Now a new study suggests the diet can elevate levels of specific gut bacteria that subsequently affect certain neurotransmitters to reduce the risk of seizures.
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When rain water runs down city streets and into storm sewers, it can be carrying a lot of filth with it – filth such as E. coli bacteria, which may end up in rivers. There could be an inexpensive and efficient new way of ridding the water of that bacteria, however, using chips of waste steel.
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This year’s ESF list of the top new species discovered over the past 12 months features a bizarre beetle that lives undercover among ants, a fish living deeper in the ocean than ever thought possible, and a previously undiscovered single-celled organism found in an aquarium in California.
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The American Gut Project, a global citizen science effort, has published the first results from one of the biggest gut microbiome studies performed. The study is observational, fueled by self-reports, but offers a compelling snapshot into the complex relationship between gut bacteria & human health.
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A study from Stanford has successfully shown how diet can be used to help propagate a specific species of gut bacteria. The research is an early step towards a future of precision medicine that can modulate the gut microbiome to help treat a variety of diseases and improve overall health.
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Food poisoning is no fun, and usually all you can do is just ride out the storm. But soon you might be able to chase a bad burger with a "virus cocktail" loaded with bacteria-hunting viruses (bacteriophages) that will kill off the invading E. coli without harming the beneficial bugs.
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New research has revealed treating the skin with a specific beneficial bacteria can help relieve symptoms of atopic dermatitis (eczema), reducing the need for traditional topical steroids.
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A new study examining the effects of "vaping" on the gut microbiome is suggesting some good news for e-cig users, with the results showing that while tobacco smoking seems to cause major changes to gut flora, those using e-cigarettes maintain similar gut bacteria diversity to non-smokers.
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Humanity might not go out with a bang, but a sniffle – at least if the terrifyingly-plausible “superbug” scenario comes to pass. But now, researchers at Oxford University have discovered a “genetic catalyst” that lets the bugs develop resistance – and they might be able to switch it off.
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