Microbes

In the South China Sea, the aqua-colored waters of an expansive shallow reef platform suddenly gives way to a near vertical shaft of vast darkness – an ocean sinkhole almost entirely devoid of oxygen and, in turn, marine life as we know it.

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.

The squid’s color-changing abilities have fascinated scientists for decades. Now, researchers have created a new squid-inspired artificial skin that can withstand extreme cold and kill microbes, opening the door to a range of potential uses.

A Texan company promises clean hydrogen at less than US$1/kg, after testing a fascinating new technique in the lab and the field. The idea is to pump specially developed microbes into depleted oil wells, where they'll eat oil and excrete hydrogen.

Microbial fuel cells are a promising new way to generate electricity, but so far they’re plagued by inefficiency. Researchers at UCLA have now found a way to wring more energy out of them, by feeding the bacteria silver to make them more conductive.

Paramecium and certain other microbes move through liquid by whipping back and forth hairlike appendages known as cilia. Scientists have now developed a new type of synthetic cilia, which could find use in micro-robots and more.

Researchers at Rice University have developed a new air filter made of graphene foam, which can kill captured microbes with small zaps of electricity.

A team at MIT has developed a material to make activewear a bit more active in cooling the wearer. The outfit is made out of a living “biofabric” full of microbial cells, which automatically open flaps in the shirt when they sense heat and sweat, to help the wearer cool off.

Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) claim to have created a hybrid artificial photosynthesis system that produces both hydrogen and methane, all from water and solar energy.

Airliner cabins can get pretty germy. They're packed full of people from all over the world, who spend hours doing things like coughing and sneezing. It was with this in mind that the GermFalcon was created. It's a robot that kills germs on planes, using ultraviolet light.

It's no secret that hundreds of millions of people around the world have little or no access to drinkable water. That's where the low-cost DrinkPure filter comes in. It is simply screwed onto the top of an existing bottle, and can purify approximately one liter (34 fl oz) of water per minute.

We've seen devices that let you attach your smartphone to a microscope, but they require you to have access to a microscope in the first place. What if you don't? Well, that's where the MicrobeScope comes in. It's a portable microscope that works with newer iPhones – or just with the naked eye.