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Backstabbing bacteria: A new treatment for infection?

Selfish bacterial cells that act in their own interests and do not cooperate with their infection-causing colleagues can actually reduce the severity of infection.

The selfish behaviour of these uncooperative bacteria could be exploited to treat antibiotic-resistant infections, according to research being presented at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting today.

Bacteria work together by using a well-studied communication system called Quorum Sensing (QS). During infection, bacteria talk to each other using QS to coordinate the release of toxins.

NASA satellite and International Space Station catch Earl weakening

NASA satellite and International Space Station catch Earl weakening

NASA satellites and the International Space Station are keeping eyes on Hurricane Earl as it heads for New England. Watches and Warnings are posted in the U.S. northeast.

NASA hurricane researchers eye Earl's eye

NASA hurricane researchers eye Earl's eye

NASA satellite sees Tropical Storm Kompasu transitioning over Korea and China

NASA satellite sees Tropical Storm Kompasu transitioning over Korea and China

NASA's Terra satellite captured the changing Tropical Storm Kompasu over Korea and China very early today, as it makes its way east to northern Japan. It is becoming extratropical.

NASA catches heavy rainfall happening in Category 4 Earl as it approaches the US

NASA catches heavy rainfall happening in Category 4 Earl as it approaches the US

Bermuda in warnings as the GOES-13 Satellite catches Fiona approaching

Bermuda in warnings as the GOES-13 Satellite catches Fiona approaching

Bermuda has warnings up as Tropical Storm Fiona approaches, and GOES-13 satellite imagery from today shows that Fiona, although packing a punch, is a much smaller system that her brother, the Category 4 Hurricane Earl.

Hubble observations of supernova reveal composition of 'star guts' pouring out

Hubble observations of supernova reveal composition of 'star guts' pouring out

Observations made with NASA's newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope of a nearby supernova are allowing astronomers to measure the velocity and composition of "star guts" being ejected into space following the explosion, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Water in Earth's mantle key to survival of oldest continents

Water in Earth's mantle key to survival of oldest continents

Astro2010: Limitless vistas on a limited budget

What can scientists hope to learn in the coming decade about the most basic questions about the cosmos and our place in it - from extraterrestrial life to the evolution of the Universe - while keeping to an earthbound budget?

Cluster mission turns the invisible into the visible

Cluster mission turns the invisible into the visible

Cluster has spent a decade revealing previously hidden interactions between the Sun and Earth. Its studies have uncovered secrets of aurora, solar storms, and given us insight into fundamental processes that occur across the Universe. And there is more work to do.

Recipe for water: Just add starlight

Just add starlight

ESA's Herschel infrared space observatory has discovered that ultraviolet starlight is the key ingredient for making water in space. It is the only explanation for why a dying star is surrounded by a gigantic cloud of hot water vapour.

NASA and NOAA's newest GOES satellite ready for action

NASA and NOAA's newest GOES satellite ready for action

Infrared NASA image shows strong convection in new Atlantic Depression 9

Infrared NASA image shows strong convection in new Atlantic Depression 9

The Atlantic Ocean is in overdrive this week, and NASA satellite imagery captured the birth of the ninth tropical depression in the central Atlantic Ocean today, trailing to the east of Tropical Storm Fiona.

When it comes to the immune system, we're all more alike than previously thought, study finds

SEATTLE – When it comes to the mechanics of the human immune system, we are all more alike than previously thought, according to a new study by scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

This finding has significant implications for developing new ways to detect, diagnose and treat cancer and diseases of the immune system, according to Harlan Robins, Ph.D., corresponding author of a paper detailing the research in the Sept. 1 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

NASA infrared data sees convection building in Fiona's clouds

NASA infrared data sees convection building in Fiona's clouds

Infrared satellite imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite showed some strong convection building in Tropical Storm Fiona, and her maximum sustained winds increased from 40 mph yesterday to 60 mph this morning