Original Yeast

Bread, beer, infections—what’s the common thread? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying, in many cases, it’s yeast. But where did the FIRST yeast start? Meet scientists Gianni Liti from the Université Côte d’Azur and Joseph Schacherer from the Université de Strasbourg. They studied the

Continue reading

Rainbow Bacteria

Can you paint with all the colors of…BACTERIA? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Bacteria come in all shapes, sizes and colors, just like people. Controlling these colors could give us the best shade for new shoes.. But how are bacterial colors controlled? Scientists at

Continue reading

Pearly Reds

A merlot a day keeps the… DENTIST away? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying, apparently it does in Spain! We’ve heard of the many potential benefits of red wine for our colon and heart… but could it help us in other ways? Bacteria live

Continue reading

Fatter Bugs

Feeling fat? Blame it on your gut—and by that we mean the bacteria that live inside it! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Jeffrey Gordon, from Washington University in Missouri, analyzed the belly flora of twelve obese people. He found they all had increased amounts

Continue reading

Let Them Eat Air

Can we make food out of thin air? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Soil is full of microbes. These tiny organisms eat and break down other organisms. They also recycle nutrients. But in desolate places on earth, or even in space, what is there

Continue reading

Sugar Buzz

Oh hey, deadly superbug. You want some. . . candy? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You’ve probably heard about SUPER BUGS. The bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics. But RESISTANCE isn’t the only problem. Some bacteria are drug TOLERANT. What’s the difference? Antibiotic RESISTANCE

Continue reading

Bacteria on the Rocks

Waiter, I’ll have water….ice? Not so much! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When a waiter brings us water with ice, we can assume the water is safe to drink. But what about the ice? Enter Raimondo Gaglio and colleagues from Universitá di Palermo in

Continue reading