Category: Microbiology
-
Multi-Omics Analysis: Deciphering Biological Complexity at Scale
Living systems are choreographed across numerous molecular levels, each affecting and reacting to the others in an ongoing dance. Multi-omics analysis is the scientific revolution that combines these disparate layers—genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, microbiomics, and others, presenting a wide-angle, systems-level perspective on biology that any single method cannot.
-
Phage Therapy: A Resurgent Solution to the Antibiotic Resistance Crisis
A number of promising strategies are now being employed to counter the threat of AMR, and among them phage therapy is noteworthy. This promising, re-emerging approach utilizes bacteriophages—viruses that exclusively infect and kill bacteria. Phage therapy isn’t new; its history dates back to the early 20th century.
-
The Growing Threat of Zoonotic Diseases: Examining Impact and the One Health Solution
The whispers of the wild have grown into a roaring challenge to human existence. In our interconnected world, where the lines between human, animal, and environmental health are increasingly blurred, zoonotic diseases pose a profound threat. Confronting this requires the collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary framework of One Health.
-
Heavy Metals: The Silent Architects of Toxicity and Antimicrobial Resistance
Heavy metals, naturally occurring elements in the Earth’s crust, pose significant environmental and public health concern due to their pervasive nature and toxicity upon anthropogenic release. Furthermore, the combination of heavy metal pollution, microplastic accumulation, and antibiotic resistant bacteria proliferation presents a complex challenge to environmental management and global public health.
-
The Gut Microbiome: Your Inner Universe
You are not alone in your body. Trillions of tiny passengers—some beneficial, some neutral, and a few troublemakers—make your digestive tract their home, primarily settling in your large intestine. This vibrant community of microbes, with some living as free-floating cells and others forming complex structures like biofilms, is referred to as the gut microbiome.
-
The Power of Horizontal Gene Transfer: Driving Bacterial Evolution
Bacteria are the ultimate survivors, and their secret lies in Horizontal Gene Transfer. Unlike humans, bacteria can swap genetic information laterally with neighboring organisms, even across different species. This incredible ability is the key to their swift evolution, allowing them to thrive in extreme environments and, most critically, to evade our antibiotics.
-
Microplastics: The Tiny Invaders We Can’t Escape
Microplastics are in our oceans, soils, floating through the air we breathe, and, alarmingly, even inside our bodies. The threat posed by microplastics goes beyond visible pollution. It’s about unseen alterations to our environment, our food sources, and even the microscopic battles happening on the surfaces of these minuscule fragments.
-
The Hidden World of Biofilms: From Sticky Surfaces to Global Threats
Imagine a lively, slimy metropolis where bacteria and other microorganisms bond together. This is a biofilm, a microbial city much more intricate and resilient than it seems. Discover how these communities form, protect themselves from threats like antibiotics, and even contribute to issues like antimicrobial resistance and cancer.
-
The Growing Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has quietly crept up on us, turning from a background concern into a looming global crisis. Now, we stand on the brink of a future where a simple cut or routine surgery could be life-threatening, and where our medical advances risk being rolled back by a microscopic enemy.