Scientists say the power of copper to fight germs lies in the fact that copper ions separate on contact with bacteria and cause irreversible damage to the bacteria's cells.
Bacteria have tiny channels in their walls which operate like the valve on a pressure cooker - they open to release material when the pressure in a bacterial cell gets too great. If the channel didn't open to relieve pressure the bacteria would explode and die, so this is a target for drug development.
Phytophthora kernoviae, a disease that can kill oak and beech trees has been found for the first time in the UK. The fungus, which forms bleeding cankers on the bark of trees, blackens leaves on plants and causes shoots to die.
It may seem remarkable that, 23 years after the identification of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there is still denial that the virus is the cause of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
A US meat company has issued a nationwide recall for 21.7 million pounds (9843 tons) of ground beef products after reports of up to 25 cases of illness caused by suspected E. coli [O157:H7] in 8 states, including New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
University of Leicester scientists have made a discovery which could make probiotic yoghurts healthier. Dr Primrose Freestone has discovered that a natural food supplement could help make the bacteria in the yoghurts more effective. A fruit extract enabl
Thousands of interesting new compounds have been discovered inside the bodies of marine sponges according to scientists speaking at the Society for General Microbiology’s 161st Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, UK.