According to an updated survey by World Health Organization (WHO), complications related to cardiovascular diseases killed approximately 17.7 million people across the world in 2015 alone. Currently the most lethal of all diseases, it is responsible for one out of every four deaths in the United States. To put an end to this frightening epidemic,…
Surfaces that obliterate bacteria have always been in demand. Last year, for instance, a group of Dutch scientists used a new type of plastic resin infused with quaternary ammonium salts to develop a 3D-printed tooth that is reportedly capable of killing up to 99-percent of oral bacteria. As part of a new study, researchers from…
Antibiotic resistance is becoming a real menace, with the United Nations calling it a "fundamental threat" that could kill as many as 300 million people by the year 2050. An amazing new molecule promises to reverse antibiotic resistance in several bacterial strains all at once. Developed by a team of scientists from Oregon State University,…
As part of a new research, scientists have come up with an innovative way of killing superbugs, in the form of tiny, star-shaped polymers. Recently published in the Nature Microbiology journal, the study reveals a new treatment technique against disease-causing bacteria that are resistant to today's antibiotics. The research was conducted by a team from…
When we drop a piece of chocolate on the floor, most of us wouldn't hesitate to pick it up and eat it, citing the 'five-second rule'. According to scientists at Rutgers University, however, it is usually unsafe to eat something that's been on the ground even for only a few seconds, since bacteria can transfer…
A team of Australian researchers from the University of Wollongong have possibly identified 3.7-billion-year old stromatolite fossils in Greenland, and they might pertain to the earliest signs of life on Earth. Found along sedimentary rocks in the Isua Greenstone Belt (along Greenland's icecap), these stromatolite fossils predate the previously oldest known stromatolite fossils (originally found…
A team from Oxford University has found a way to exploit the natural movements of bacteria, utilizing them to power microscopic machines, including miniature wind farms for future smartphones. Recently published in the Science Advances journal, the research, scientists believe, could pave the way for an entire generation of self-assembling, micro-sized devices that in turn produce…
Scientists at Ames-based Iowa State University have demonstrated that three-dimensional microbial fuel cells (or MFC) could channel liquids through themselves via capillary action, thus eliminating the need for any kind of external power. Appearing in this month's issue of the TECHNOLOGY journal, the research opens up a range of possibilities when it comes to producing electric…
Nature, as we already know, is home to a wide variety of strange, sometimes bizarre, beings, be it a sea slug species that looks like a cartoon lamb, a Costa Rican amphibian that bears an uncanny resemblance to Kermit the Frog or even a gargantuan squid egg mass as big as a real car. Scientists…
Plastic, as we all know, is a menace to the environment. In recent years, the problem of plastic pollution has escalated quite drastically, causing cities, towns and even oceans to be clogged with this harmful substance. Last year, a team of scientists from Stanford University and Beijing-based BeiHang University demonstrated the amazing Styrofoam-digesting abilities of…