MetaFilter posts tagged with ecoli

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind: E. Coli & Cloud Formation

y2karl — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 01:13:03 -0800

Scientists Find Bacteria Survive at High Altitudes
Study finds significant microorganism populations in middle and upper troposphere
Microbiome of the upper troposphere: Species composition and prevalence, effects of tropical storms, and atmospheric implications
See also Properties of biological aerosols and their impact on atmospheric processes

Beef: It's What's For Dinner

bearwife — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:48:13 -0800

The Kansas City Star has concluded a year long investigation of the beef industry, and the results may sicken you. Literally. (contains slaughterhouse image) To quote the Huffington Post article on the investigation: This is the true state of affairs . . . just four companies process more than 87 percent of the beef packed in the U.S., and take advantage of novel, money-saving techniques that significantly increase the risk of contamination by foodborne pathogens, leading to hundreds of preventable illnesses every year.

Eating the plate instead of the food

CheeseDigestsAll — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 09:25:29 -0800

With the possible exception of the Nobel awards, physicists seem to get all the press these days, whether they're doing quantum level work at the LHC, or cosmology via the latest satellite data. Biologists, not so much. It's too bad, because Richard Lenski is running one of the great evolutionary experiments of our time, and it's producing interesting results. Lenski and his team have raised 55,000 generations of E. coli, the equivalent in human terms, of over a million years of evolution. These bacteria normally feed on glucose, a sugar, which is stabilized in solution by sodium citrate, not a chemical that E. coli can typically metabolize. In Lenski's lab, however, one strain has evolved to eat the citrate, not the glucose. Because Lenski deep-freezes samples every 500 generations. They were able to track the mutations that led to this change. One of my favorite science journalists, Carl Zimmer, has been following this work for over a decade with reports like the one above. Lenski, who was awarded a MacArthur grant in 1996, combines ecology and genetics to create experiments that illustrate the role of population dynamics in evolution, and his research supports the "punctuated equilibrium" model suggested by Steven J Gould and Niles Eldridge. In addition to lab work showing evolution occurring "in the flesh", Lenski has also published work using computer simulations that advance understanding of evolutionary mechanisms.

Liquid Hydrocarbons on Demand?

Baby_Balrog — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 08:15:53 -0800

In September, a privately held and highly secretive U.S. biotech company received a patent for a genetically adapted E. coli bacterium that feeds solely on carbon dioxide and excretes liquid hydrocarbons. Joule Unlimited, co-founded by George Church, appears ready to forever alter the way we produce fuel. Additional information.

Gingers and daywalkers rejoice!

T.D. Strange — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:33:09 -0800

The human body is made up of more bacteria cells than human cells. Now, researchers at Harvard have isolated the genes responsible for producing amino acids that can block ultraviolet light and managed get E. coli bacteria to produce them too. Can I interest you in some sunblocking bacteria living on your skin?

It's what's for dinner

cytherea — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:01:57 -0800

Ammonia-injected centerfuged fatty trimmings = pink slime + E. Coli. Eight years ago, federal officials were struggling to remove potentially deadly E. coli from hamburgers when an entrepreneurial company from South Dakota came up with a novel idea: injecting beef with ammonia.

Natural selection observed in a lab

Tehanu — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:36:58 -0800

In the 1980s, Richard Lenski hypothesized that his research team should be able to watch random mutations and natural selection taking place in a lab by observing a bacteria population over many generations. In 1988, beginning with a single bacterium, he started several replicate colonies. Recently, after 33,127 generations, his team has observed natural selection.

You Don't Poop Where You Eat

SansPoint — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 07:05:46 -0800

Taco Bell E. Coli Out break from... green onions? This is the second major outbreak of E. Coli from vegetables this year. Where does E. Coli come from? "One of the root words of the family's scientific name, "enteric", refers to the intestine, and is often used synonymously with 'fecal'."

Synthetic Bacterial Computers

peacay — Fri, 29 Apr 2005 11:19:22 -0800

Multilingual bacteria are being used in synthetic biology techniques to display computer functionality.

ewagoner — Fri, 04 May 2001 09:12:35 -0800

Dr. Carl Winter is an Extension Food Toxicologist and director of the FoodSafe Program at UC Davis. He's also the Elvis of E. coli.