Tag Archive: bacteria
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New Bacteria Source for Biofuels
But will it scale?
Scientists have created a new bacteria by injecting blue-green algae with a set of cellulose-making genes from a non-photosynthetic “vinegar” bacterium, Acetobacter xylinum. The new cyanobacteria produce a relatively pure, gel-like form of cellulose that can be broken down easily into glucose.
A newly created microbe produces cellulose that can be turned into ethanol and other biofuels, report scientists from The University of Texas at Austin who say the microbe could provide a significant portion of the nation’s transportation fuel if production can be scaled up.
Killer bacteria from outer space
If you sneeze in space, does it make a sound?
As if cosmic rays and hard vacuum didn’t make space dangerous enough, astronauts might have to contend with an unexpected threat: bacteria. Mice exposed to a strain of Salmonella typhimurium that spent 12 days in orbit on a 2006 shuttle flight were nearly three times as likely to die from the stomach bug than rodents infected with its earthbound ilk, a new study finds. Seems the microbes began to weave themselves into a resilient biofilm, possibly because the microgravity stilled the flow of the fluid bathing them, a study author told the Associated Press.
