Scientists say a century-long search for a bacteria that feeds on manganese – a hard, brittle metal – has come to an end. Microbiologists in California discovered two species of bacteria that feed on manganese and use the metal as their source of calories. The metal-eating microbes grew in dirty glassware that was left for several … Read more
New hope for beating malaria as scientists identify microbe living in mosquitoes’ genitals that stops them catching or spreading the killer disease The malaria-blocking bug, Microsporidia MB, found in mosquitoes in Kenya No mosquitoes carrying the bug were found to be harbouring malaria parasite Bug discovered in up to five per cent of mosquitoes on … Read more
Revealed: The microbe, Italian flag and medical mask are among the emojis used most in tweets about the coronavirus but the two laughing emojis top study as people use them to make light of the pandemic A report analyzed over 200,000 tweets to see which emojis people are using The two laughing faces topped the … Read more
Microbe that can break down hard-to-recycle plastics used in products ranging from furniture to fridges could be the answer to plastic pollution Scientists identified a tiny organism that can break down polyurethane plastic These are very difficult to recycle plastics as they don’t melt down when heated This type of plastic is used in a … Read more