Category Archives: Microorganisms

Parasite Philosophy: Just Keep Swimming!

Lots of microorganisms can survive in remarkably difficult conditions – bacteria can bloom in hot springs at 80°C, archaea live around hydrothermal vents reaching a toasty 113°C, while viruses can survive in the Arctic sea ice. For human pathogens, only … Continue reading

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Posted in Disease, Evolution, Microorganisms, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Life and (Long) Times of Bugs

If there’s one thing that Jurassic Park taught us, it’s that evolution is a long, drawn-out process*. Novel traits evolve in different species over millions of years, so most human scientists aren’t around long enough to see them happen in … Continue reading

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Bat vs. Marburg virus: A Seasonal Struggle

Marburg is a highly infectious virus from the family Filoviridae (which includes Ebola virus), and is associated with a high fatality rate (~90%) and severe haemorrhagic symptoms. Originally described in simultaneous outbreaks in Germany and Serbia in 1967, it is … Continue reading

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Posted in Disease, Ecology, Microorganisms, Science, The Environment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Antibiotics, resistance and MRSA, oh my!

The overuse of antibiotics, both in humans and other animals, has applied a selective pressure driving the development of bacterial drug resistance. But few people realise that bacteria in the environment naturally express an impressive cocktail of drug resistance genes, … Continue reading

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Posted in Microorganisms, Science, Vaccines | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments