Microbiology

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria that cause disease is a serious problem. Soil contains many bacteria, some of which may help us by making new antibiotics.

Bacteria naturally develop resistance to antibiotics, and the unnecessary use of antibiotics in meat production and the treatment of human disease is accelerating this process.

The world's ecosystems are underpinned by a complex community of single-celled organisms. fundamental to the healthy functioning of both aquatic and terrestrial food webs.

Investigative skills play an important part in learning practical biology. Experiments are important in the scientific method. This article teaches good experimental design for young biologists.

Researches have discovered evidence showing that complex life may have first evolved in lakes, rather than in oceans as was previously believed.

Plasmodium vivax is sometimes considered to be a less serious cause of malaria than Plasmodium falciparum. P. vivax can be deadly, however. It becomes dormant in the liver and later becomes active again. The reactivation may cause a relapse, or the return of symptoms.

Saprolegnia and Phytophthora are important examples of oomycetes or water molds. Some species of Saprolegnia can infect and kill fish. One species of Phytophthora causes late blight in potatoes. This disease was responsible for the devastating nineteenth-century potato famine in Ireland.

An amoeba is a one-celled creature with interesting features. Amoeboid organisms live in the environment and in our body. Some are harmless, but others cause disease.

This article is an in-depth review of cells. Meant to help high school and college students gain a better understanding of this chapter of biology.

People worry that deadly viruses like Ebola could turn into airborne forms that could cause a worldwide epidemic. But there are reasons to think it is unlikely.

Bacteria have some amazing abilities. They can live in extreme habitats, produce light, communicate with each other, and act as predators and magnets.

Planarians are interesting flatworms with an amazing ability to regenerate. Scientists are investigating the capabilities of the animals in the hope of applying their discoveries to human biology.

Social amoebas are also known as cellular slime molds and dictyostelids. They start life as separate ameboid cells but join to form a multicellular slug when food is scarce. The slug has some very interesting abilities.

This article explains with clear text, illustrations and videos all about diffusion, osmosis, active transport, surface to volume ratio and the temperature and concentration gradients in cell biology.

Prions are misfolded proteins that form inside the body or enter the body from the outside. They alter other proteins and cause serious diseases, including CJD.

Bacteria in the genus Yersinia have major effects on our lives. One species causes bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plague. Others cause foodborne illness. One may eventually help to treat cancer.