How dormant bacteria come back to life

Solving a riddle that has confounded biologists since bacterial spores—inert, sleeping bacteria— were first described more than 150 years ago, researchers at Harvard Medical School have discovered a new kind of cellular ...

Why bacteria survive in space—biologists discover clues

In professor George Fox's lab at the University of Houston, scientists are studying Earth germs that could be contaminating other planets. Despite extreme decontamination efforts, bacterial spores from Earth still manage ...

Computer models reveal best way to kill deadly bacteria

Bacteria, transformed into dormant spores, can survive millions of years in extreme environments, threatening human life in the form of food poisoning and the biological weapon anthrax. But understanding how bacteria adapt ...

Protein synthesis, ATP unnecessary for bacterial spore germination

Spores of Bacillus bacteria can survive for years in a dormant state, and then germinate in minutes. But it has long been unclear whether germination required protein synthesis, or cellular energy packets, which are known ...

Nearly indestructible virus yields tool to treat diseases

By unlocking the secrets of a bizarre virus that survives in nearly boiling acid, scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have found a blueprint for battling human disease using DNA clad in near-indestructible ...

Getting a charge from changes in humidity

(Phys.org) —A new type of electrical generator uses bacterial spores to harness the untapped power of evaporating water, according to research conducted at the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard ...

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