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Category: bacteria

Stanford University researchers are reporting today that they "did not find strong evidence that organic foods are more nutritious or carry fewer health risks than conventional alternatives," according to a press release on a study sure...

Stanford University researchers are reporting today that they "did not find strong evidence that organic foods are more nutritious or carry fewer health risks than conventional alternatives," according to a press release on a study sure to trigger strong reactions on foodie websites. 

Before we look at the coverage, it's important to look closely at what the researchers said. They reviewed 17 human studies and 223 studies of nutrients and contaminants in foods and, in a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, they concluded the following: "The published literature lacks strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods. Consumption of organic foods may reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria."

Alice Park on ...

In May and June, an EHEC epidemic started in Germany. According to the Robert Koch...

In May and June, an EHEC epidemic started in Germany. According to the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin it was the worldwide most severe EHEC outbreak ever. About 3800 patients were diagnosed with the E.coli-variant bacteria EHEC O104:H4 and developed an enterogastritis or a hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), causing 53 deaths in Germany. The disease also spread over European countries and Northern America, too, mostly via tourists, adding 137 cases (2 deaths, one of them in the US).

As soon as the Robert Koch Institute got knowledge of the outbreak, it started an investigation. The source seemed to be salads, but whether the germ came from cucumbers or tomatoes or other ingredients was not clear, first. Later, through comparisons of recipes of restaurants...

We know about extremophiles, those microbes that live in environments once thought...

We know about extremophiles, those microbes that live in environments once thought inhospitable to life--very high temperatures, very high or very low pH, surrounded by solid rock, and so on. To the list of extreme environments we may add very strong gravity, like, say, 400,000 Gs.

When researchers spun E. coli (micrograph) and other bacteria in a centrifuge and revved it up to its fastest speed, the bacteria not only lived through the experience, they reproduced. Anything above 40 or 50 Gs can injure or kill human beings.

So, writes Space.com's Mike Wall, alien life could exist in places, such as very big planets...