Topic: Microbiology

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Five places we might find life in our own solar system

Life on Earth occupies some bizarre places – pools of pitch, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and lightless lakes buried under glaciers. While scientists hunt for hospitable planets circling other stars, the solar system has a few candidates. Here are five.
In Pictures: Green algae invades China
Bestselling books the week of 6/2/11, according to IndieBound*
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 06/01
Bestselling books the week of 5/26/11, according to IndieBound*

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Gerbil, mouse astronauts perish on Russian spaceflight

After a month in orbit, Russia's Bion M space biology craft touched down in Russia, with most of its crew dead as a result of technical malfunctions.
Fungus in Capri Sun? Yes, but so what?

Yes, scientists found five types of fungus in Capri Sun beverages after consumers reported finding mats of mold in the popular kids' drinks. But they're mostly harmless.
Mars One will look for — and hide from — life on Mars

Mars One plans to put four astronaut-explorers on Mars by 2023, but they will take steps to avoid contaminating any lifeforms already on Mars.
Energy Voices In Germany, a building that aims to run on algae

The world’s first ever algae-powered building is being built and tested in Hamburg, Germany, Kennedy writes. With the outer facades covered in glass panelled bioreactors the building can produce its own energy.
Cthulhu fhtagn! Indescribably terrifying microbes named for Lovecraft monsters.

Eldritch scientists at the University of British Columbia have named Cthulhu macrofasciculumque and Cthylla microfasciculumque, a pair of sightless, writhing, unfathomable horrors twisting and groping through the ensanguined interiors of half-mad termites, for the unspeakably hideous abominations of the adjective-crazed pulp writer.
Lake Erie: big algae problems, more to come

Lake Erie's huge algae bloom in 2011 covered nearly a fifth of the lake. A new report says warming climate and modern farming are creating ideal conditions for big algae blooms to clog Lake Erie.
Curiosity Mars rover suffers another glitch, remains in safe mode

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has put its scientific exploration on hold while it deals with a minor software problem.
Energy Voices Is the future of biofuels in algae? Exxon Mobil says it's possible.

Exxon Mobil is spending $600 million on developing biofuels for motor vehicles from algae, Alic writes, but algae biofuel success is still a quarter of a century away, according to Exxon Mobil.
Did life on Earth originate on Mars?

Rock samples gathered by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover suggest that the Red Planet could have supported microbial life at about the same time that life first appeared on Earth, meaning that any life on Mars, if there was any, could have predated, and possibly even seeded, life on Earth.
Curiosity hits 'pay dirt': Mars was habitable, evidence suggests (+video)

The Mars rover Curiosity analyzed the inside of a rock it drilled and found that the sample was likely formed in standing water 'so benign' you likely could have drunk it, researchers say.
Ancient Mars could have been habitable, says NASA

A Martian rock sample collected by NASA's Curiosity rover suggests that the Red Planet could have supported living microbes in its ancient past, says NASA.
A new form of microbe in Antarctic lake?

Russian scientists say that they have detected an "unidentified and unclassified" bacterium from a giant lake locked under Antarctic ice. But some have suggested that the samples could have been contaminated.
New type of bacteria discovered in lake beneath Antarctic ice

Scientists say that the type of microbe, which has been locked in the lake under the ice for millions of years, is only 86 percent similar to other known types.
Mars might still harbor life, say scientists

Liquid water might flow seasonally at some places on Mars, potentially supporting microbial life, say some researchers.
Monster goldfish found in Lake Tahoe could destroy lake's ecosystem

Monster goldfish found: Scientists are worried that an increasing number of monster goldfish found in Lake Tahoe are stimulating algae growth.
Medication makes fish eat more, socialize less

Fish fed extremely low concentrations of an anti-anxiety drug eat more quickly, act more boldly, and socialize less than their un-medicated peers,
Cover Story The Mars mystique

After 50 years of missions to Mars, scientists are unlocking some of the mysteries surrounding a planet that has captivated mankind for millenniums. Will humans ever leave a boot print on Mars?
Mother’s little helper? Microwave zap prevents bread mold

The dreaded blue-green mold on your bread loaves might be preventable – for up to 60 days – with new microwave technology from Texas Tech. Researchers say the proecess could eliminate the need for preservatives and reduce global food waste.
NASA surprised to spot ice on Mercury

NASA's Messenger probe enabled researchers to find unexpected materials frozen in Mercury's north pole. Scientists think the materials arrived via comets or asteroids that hit millions of years ago.
Global News Blog Red algae bloom closes Sydney's beaches, but probably not for long

Bloody waters before summer has even started may sound like a drag on tourism, but it's a mere drop in the sea for Australia.
Ancient Antarctic microbes isolated for millennia may provide clues to alien life

The findings shed light on the extreme limits at which life can live not just on Earth, but possibly alien worlds, scientists added.
One-minute algae: new source of oil?

New process can quickly turn algae into biocrude. But it's not the same as nature's crude oil.
Clean Water Act at 40: Is it failing to meet new pollution challenges?

Congress passed the far-reaching Clean Water Act 40 years ago. The measure scored dramatic environmental successes, including with Lake Erie. But now Erie, and the law, are besieged.
Startling discovery debunked: bacteria can't survive on arsenic

A two-year old report suggested that one type of bacteria could survive by assimilating arsenic – a finding that held implications for the search for life in the cosmos. But new research contradicts those conclusions.
Half of Great Barrier Reef lost to starfish and cyclones in less than 30 years (+video)

That overall 50-percent decline, they estimate, is a yearly loss of about 3.4 percent of the reef.