Candida And Lactobacillus Image Under Microscope / Routine Laboratory Diaries

Silver nanoparticles show promise in fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria

New research investigated whether silver nanoparticles could amplify the effects of antibiotics on antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In a new study, scientists with the University of Florida have found that a combination of silver nanoparticles and antibiotics is effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The researchers hope to turn this discovery into viable treatment for some types of antibiotic-resistant infections. Antibiotic-resistant infections kill more than a million people globally each year.

For centuries, silver has been known to have antimicrobial properties. However, silver nanoparticles—microscopic spheres of silver small enough to operate at the cellular level—represent a new frontier in using the precious metal to fight bacteria.

In this study, the research team tested whether commercially available silver nanoparticles boost the power of antibiotics and enable these drugs to counter the very bacteria that have evolved to withstand them.

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Stop the ban on blood donation of gay men

my friend is studying for the mcat and was just trying to explain to me about heat transfer and she said ‘you know, like the reason you get cold when you go outside on a freezing day is that your tiny human body is trying to warm up the entire universe’ and i think that’s the best thing i have ever heard

biologists will be like this is a very simplified diagram of a mammalian cell

chemists will be like this is a molecule

Like humans, these big-brained birds may owe their smarts to long childhoods

Human beings typically don’t leave the nest until well into our teenage years—a relatively rare strategy among animals. But corvids—a group of birds that includes jays, ravens, and crows—also spend a lot of time under their parents’ wings. Now, in a parallel to humans, researchers have found that ongoing tutelage by patient parents may explain how corvids have managed to achieve their smarts.

Your body deserves to feel safe. Your soul deserves to feel safe. I hope you find environments and invest in healing steps to accomplish this, because you and your body are good and deserving.

Strange question for all my biologists out there, no matter what your specialisation is.

Does anyone know any good books about biology? The more accurate, the better, they can be academic essays even, it’s all good.

I’m looking for a Christmas gift for my sister, who is absolutely in love with biology, and she studies it in uni too, it’s not only a hobby.

Unfortunately, having very very little knowledge in hard sciences, I cannot determine whether a book about biology is good or not, not by looking at people’s reviews and whatnot. And… I trust people on Tumblr more.

I’ve read a few reviews of some books, but I can’t decide. Please help a poor soft-sciences-lover in need!

'Pet' slime mold keeps this watch ticking

A "living" smartwatch powered by a slime mold needs food and care to function. Can it make us less fickle consumers of technology?

Using a slime mold, an electrically conductive single-cell organism, researchers created a smartwatch that only works when the organism is healthy, which requires the user to give it food and care.

Devices such as cellphones, laptops, and smartwatches are constant companions for most people, spending days and nights in their pocket, on their wrist, or otherwise close at hand.

But when these technologies break down or a newer model hits stores, many people are quick to toss out or replace their device without a second thought. This disposability leads to rising levels of electronic waste—the fastest-growing category of waste, with 40 million tons generated each year.

Scientists wondered if they could change that fickle relationship by bringing devices to life—literally.

After creating the slime mold watch, they tested how the living device affected its wearer’s attitude toward technology.

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*sticks my hand in your nucleus and swirls your dna around*