Bacteria

Viruses vs. bacteria: What’s the Difference?

Feb 03, 2021

By Nicole Gadda Have you ever wondered why antibiotics treat strep throat, but not a bad case of the flu? At first glance, bacteria and viruses certainly seem very similar. After all, they’re both pathogens, which means they both can cause disease. So, how can doctors tell if your sore throat is due to a […]

Technique Tuesday: Gram Staining

Oct 21, 2020

By Mohamed Nasr Gram Staining Fun Rating:  What is the general purpose?  Gram staining is used to differentiate between two large groups of bacteria according to their cell wall structure differences (Figure 1).  Why do we use it?  Gram staining is an essential technique in the field of microbiology. It is used in a wide […]

Bacteria in your gut are eating your leftovers, and that’s a good thing

May 05, 2020

By Jeffrey Letourneau What did you eat for dinner last night? It might feel like a long time ago from your perspective, but chances are that the microbes in your gut are currently digesting some of the last remaining nutrients from that meal. In particular, dietary fiber is an important food source for these microbes, […]

A Portrait of a Protein

Apr 14, 2020

By Anna Wheless HOW FAR WE’VE COME “What was the most important scientific discovery ever made?”  The answers to this question range from the discovery of antibiotics to the development of the theory of general relativity. It’s all a matter of opinion, but my answer to this question would be: the manipulation of glass. It […]

The Amazing Horseshoe Crab

Mar 31, 2020

By Eva Vitucci The horseshoe crab, an animal that’s actually more closely related to sea spiders than sea crabs, has swum through our coastal waters for the past 445 million years – dating them beyond the existence of dinosaurs! While these animals are ancient, they are relatively well-equipped to handle today’s world. In fact, the […]

The Battle Against the Bugs: antibiotic tolerance and Staph infections

Oct 10, 2019

By Jenna Beam  Let’s talk about Staph. If you haven’t had a Staph infection, you probably know someone who has.  Those gross, oozy infections that often affect athletes (please wear shoes in the locker room y’all) are caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, but we’ll just call it Staph. Staph notoriously causes all kinds of […]