Lifeboat Foundation

While cholera rages across many regions of the world, a team of microbiologists and plant scientists has pinpointed a genetic weakness in the pandemic’s armor, which could lead to future treatments.

The current cholera pandemic began in Indonesia in 1961. Rather than fade away like its six previous worldwide outbreak predecessors, the responsible strain is thriving and actually picking up steam. A discovery, led by scientists from Michigan State University and Tufts University and featured in the current issue of PNAS, shows the key genetic change the seventh pandemic acquired to thrive for more than 50 years.

The interdisciplinary team of scientists reveal the first ever signaling network for a new bacterial signal, cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP), in the human cholera pathogen. The team also identified the first protein receptor of cGAMP as a phospholipase enzyme that remodels the V. cholerae membrane when cGAMP is produced.

Continue reading “Microbiologists and plant scientists find secret to tackling cholera” »

Deep in the rocky earth, in the liquid-filled cracks created by fracking, lives a community of highly interactive microbes—one that could at once have serious implications for energy companies, human health and scientists investigating the potential for life on Mars.

New research has uncovered the genetic details of microbes found in fracking wells. Not only do a wide array of bacteria and viruses thrive in these crevices created by hydraulic fracturing—they also have the power to produce methane, according to a study led by scientists at The Ohio State University and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

That means it’s possible that the tiny life forms could create more energy—and from a different source—than the fracking companies are going after in the first place.

Continue reading “Methane-producing microbial communities found in fracking wells” »

Potential changes in the frequency and intensity of storms off the coast of the UK and around the world could have a “catastrophic impact” on the livelihood of fishermen and sustainability of fishing industries, research led by the University of Exeter has shown.

The research, based on a review of past studies and examination of future projections, warns that the increase in storms could make fishing more dangerous, displace fish from their natural habitats and interfere with the ability of fish to breed.

Storms off the coast of the UK are projected to become more frequent and intense over the next two centuries and more dramatic storms are expected in the North Sea and North Atlantic, to the West of the UK, Ireland and France, threatening the future of fishermen and the fish they catch.

Continue reading “Increase in storms could have ‘catastrophic impact’ on fishing industry” »

A new startup hopes that orienting the spins of hydrogen atoms could finally crack the puzzle of commercially viable fusion energy, but some experts are skeptical.

Studies of massive genetic databases may lead to new therapies for mental disorders.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have solved one of the world’s most annoying problems: how to stop the sound of a dripping tap.

Research team successfully administers insulin to rats in capsule form, raising hopes that a version for humans could be developed.

Nicola Davis

VIENNA (Reuters) — Feel like the world is going to the dogs? Want to get away from it all? Here’s a solution: become a citizen of the nation of Asgardia and hope it makes good on its promise to colonize the moon.

Lembit Opik, Asgardia’s Head of Nation Igor Ashurbeyli and Yun Zhao attend the inauguration ceremony of Asgardia’s first Head of Nation in Vienna, Austria June 25, 2018. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner.

Engineered strains of E. coli and other microbes are being tested in humans to combat a slew of illnesses.