Scientists say a century-long search for a bacteria that feeds on manganese – a hard, brittle metal – has come to an end. US microbiologists discovered bacteria that feed on manganese and use the metal as their source of calories. The metal-eating microbe grew in dirty glassware that was left for several months, leaving the dark … Read more
Scientists have discovered a bug which lives inside the guts of mosquitoes and protects them from getting malaria. Researchers said the microbe, which lives in around 5 per cent of mosquitoes on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya, could also stop the insects from transmitting the disease to humans. Malaria is spread through the … Read more
Revealed: The microbe, Italian flag and medical mask are among the emojis used most in tweets about the coronavirus but the two laughing emojis top study as people use them to make light of the pandemic A report analyzed over 200,000 tweets to see which emojis people are using The two laughing faces topped the … Read more
Microbe that can break down hard-to-recycle plastics used in products ranging from furniture to fridges could be the answer to plastic pollution Scientists identified a tiny organism that can break down polyurethane plastic These are very difficult to recycle plastics as they don’t melt down when heated This type of plastic is used in a … Read more