Tag Archives: ecosystem

Watching it Burn: Soil Microbes vs. Wildfires

Posted on 5 May 2014 by mmmbitesizescience

Wildfires can devastate ecosystems across the world. In 2012, over 67,000 wildfires raced across more than 9 million acres of land in the US alone. Fuelled by wind and parched vegetation, wildfires burn through everything in their path: plants don’t … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Bacteria, Ecology, Microorganisms, Science, The Environment | Tagged acid, bacteria, biomass, burn, bush fire, ecosystem, flame, microbe, pH, recovery, scorch, soil, wildfire | Leave a comment

Antibiotics release death sugars that help bad bugs to grow

Posted on 23 December 2013 by mmmbitesizescience

In the 1940’s, antibiotics were hailed as wonder drugs. “Syphilis is now curable!”, ran the posters. Yet in modern times, several dark sides of these drugs have come to light. The widespread overuse of antibiotic therapy has driven the emergence … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Bacteria, Disease, Evolution, Medicine, Microorganisms, Science | Tagged antibiotic resistance, antibiotics, bacteria, bugs, clostridium difficile, drugs, ecosystem, gut, microbiota, MRSA, salmonella enterica, therapy | Leave a comment

The death of well-fed salt marshes

Posted on 19 October 2012 by mmmbitesizescience

Salt marshes are important ecosystems that form a dividing line between land and sea. They are typically structured as a mud or sand flat that is colonised by salt-tolerant plants that can cope with being submerged twice a day, such … Continue reading →