DNA reveals Romans helped spread TB across three continents
The Romans gave us roads, public toilets and the modern calendar, but we may also have them to thank for spreading a deadly disease: tuberculosis
Bacteria may survive temperatures hot enough to melt lead
Few living things can cope with temperatures above 100°C, but a controversial study suggests some bacterial spores can withstand 420°C heat for over 30 minutes
Criminals can be identified from the microbes they leave behind
When a person enters a house, they leave behind a unique set of microorganisms that could serve as a fingerprint – and it seems to be accurate enough to spot individual people
Zambia to kill 2,000 hippos because they might spread anthrax
Over the next five years 2,000 hippos are to be culled in Zambia, supposedly to stop them giving people anthrax, but the cull may inadvertently fuel the trade in hippo ivory
Air pollution changes what bugs colonise our airways
Higher levels of pollutants in the air correlate with reduced diversity of bacteria in our nose, hinting at a possible mechanism for why pollution causes disease
On the trail of dragons with blood that can save people’s lives
The gigantic Komodo dragons of Indonesia have been known to kill people – but their blood is rich with peptides that may destroy antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Bad eczema flare-ups may be caused by strains of bacteria
Healthy skin has a mix of bacteria living on it, but increases in particular strains of Staphylococcus has been linked to bad eczema flare-ups in children
Bacteria release aphrodisiacs that put others in mood for sex
Eros protein is the first evidence that bacteria regulate mating of other, non-bacterial creatures
Nanoparticles that chat back and forth could dispense medication
For the first time, two nanoparticles have communicated with each other to complete a task, potentially making them useful for targeted cancer treatment
Swirling Bacteria Illuminate the Strange Physics of Swarms
