Bacterial Sonar
Bacteria detect nearby cells and only attack if there's potential to do damage.
Cinnamon Roundup
Cinnamon-flavored gum kills bacteria that cause bad breath, and cinnamon oil kills mosquito larvae.
Toxin Vaccines
A viral enzyme cures bacterial infections in rats, and developing a vaccine against ricin.
Particle Sorter
A device sorts cells by size, offering a quick way to diagnose disease.
Frozen Microbes
Tiny microbes frozen in Greenland glacier ice could give clues to life on other planets.
Electricity from Sewage
A fuel cell that generates electricity from waste water
Germy Surfaces
How long do cold and flu viruses survive on surfaces? (Up to 6 hours)
Bacterial Batteries
A fuel cell that uses bacteria to convert sugars into electricity
Anthrax Signaling
Anthrax bacteria have a signaling system that, if blocked, inhibits growth.
Infectious Phages
Viruses called phages can make harmless bacteria infectious.
Phage Comeback
Viruses that attack bacteria are making a comeback as an alternative to antibiotics.
Bacteria Ballistics
Shooting bacteria out of agun to see if they could have survived an impact on Mars
Bacterial Builders
Engineered bacteria make a protein that can lay down a pattern of circuits on a computer chip.
Microbe Roundup
Identifying the proteins of a radiation-resistant bacterium, microbes in the clouds of Venus, and allowing captive female animals to choose their mates
Chicken Wrap
A film for chicken meat that kills listeria and prevents contamination
Broccoli and Bacteria
A compound in broccoli kills H. pylori, the bacterium that causes stomach ulcers.
Water Sentinel
Algae that live in water reservoirs can serve as biosensors for bioterrorist attacks.
Stealth Bugs
Bacteria in the gut cover themselves with sugar-- perhaps to avoid detection of the immune system
Wound Healers
Using a special microscope to see how wound-healing fibroblasts reshape their environment
Stopping Slime
The cellular mechanism of how biofilm bacteria know they've found a surface.
PCB-Busting Bug
Discovery of a soil bacterium that helps break down the pollutant PCB