Fish guts for flawless fkin?

How fish guts might play a role in future skin care products

11-Sep-2024 - There are some pretty strange ingredients in cosmetics and skin care products. One example is snail mucin — also known as snail slime — which is used for its moisturizing and antioxidant properties. But researchers reporting in ACS Omega might have found something even weirder to put on your ...

Upcycling excess carbon dioxide with tiny microbes

Scientists specially engineered microbes to turn carbon dioxide into chemicals that are potential building blocks to pharmaceuticals

03-Sep-2024 - While some microbes can make people sick or spoil food, others are critical for survival. These tiny organisms can also be engineered to make specific molecules. Researchers reporting in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering have rewired one such microbe to help tackle greenhouse gases in the ...

‘Artificial tongue’ detects and inactivates common mouth bacteria

In the future, bacterial dental diseases could also be diagnosed and treated using this sensor system

29-Feb-2024 - From the fuzzy feeling on your teeth to the unfortunate condition of halitosis, bacteria shape mouth health. When dental illnesses take hold, diagnosis and treatment is necessary, but identifying the microorganisms behind an infection can be a lengthy and expensive process. Now, researchers ...

Plastic-eating bacteria turn waste into useful starting materials for other products

Microbial Upcycling of Waste PET

03-Nov-2023 - Mountains of used plastic bottles get thrown away every day, but microbes could potentially tackle this problem. Now, researchers in ACS Central Science report that they’ve developed a plastic-eating E. coli that can efficiently turn polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste into adipic acid, which ...

Food allergies can be reversed in mice by targeting the microbiome

23-Aug-2022 - Although many people with dietary allergies experience mild symptoms when exposed to triggering foods, some face potentially fatal consequences. A bacterial compound called butyrate that’s made by healthy microbiomes has shown promise against allergic reactions in lab tests, but it’s nasty to ...

New drug candidate fights off more than 300 drug-resistant bacteria

16-Aug-2022 - Urinary tract infections are common, yet are increasingly tough to treat because the bacteria that cause them are becoming resistant to many antibiotics. Now, in ACS Central Science, researchers report a new molecule that inhibits drug-resistant bacteria in lab experiments, as well as in mice ...

Lager beer, whether it contains alcohol or not, could help men’s gut microbes

17-Jun-2022 - Like wine, beer can have health benefits when consumed in moderation. Non-alcoholic beers have become wildly popular recently, but are these drinks also healthful? In a pilot study, researchers in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry report that compared to their pre-trial microbiome, ...

Detecting CRISPR/Cas gene doping

An initial step toward a test to pinpoint athletes trying to gain an unfair advantage

11-Jan-2021 - All athletes want to be at the top of their game when they compete, but some resort to nefarious approaches to achieve peak muscle growth, speed and agility. Recent developments in gene editing technology could tempt athletes to change their DNA to get an edge. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' ...

Superworms digest plastic, with help from their bacterial sidekicks

Polystyrene waste to break down with enzymes or bacteria?

02-Jun-2020 - Resembling giant mealworms, superworms (Zophobas atratus) are beetle larvae that are often sold in pet stores as feed for reptiles, fish and birds. In addition to their relatively large size (about 2 inches long), these worms have another superpower: They can degrade polystyrene plastic. Now, ...

'Semi-synthetic' bacteria churn out unnatural proteins

19-Jul-2019 - Synthetic biologists seek to create new life with forms and functions not seen in nature. Although scientists are a long way from making a completely artificial life form, they have made semi-synthetic organisms that have an expanded genetic code, allowing them to produce never-before-seen ...