microbiology Archives

Stanley Falkow, microbe hunter, dies at 84

Renowned microbe enthusiast Stanley Falkow has died at 84. Falkow was known for his generosity, wit and remarkable scientific acumen that led to the founding of the modern field of bacterial pathogenicity — the study of how bacteria cause human disease.

Diet can be used to adjust microbiome composition, new study suggests

The composition of the microbiome can be adjusted by pairing bacterial species with their favorite foods, a new Stanford Medicine study suggests.

Gut microbes, key guests on Turkey Day, could be used therapeutically

This Thanksgiving, give thanks to the millions of microbes roaming around in your gut. As you lean back from the table, your tummy content, they'll …

Dolphins: The final frontier for new types of bacteria?

When a dolphin grins at you, he’s also showing off the diverse community of microorganisms living on his teeth. Of course, you can’t see those …

Hunter-gatherers’ seasonal gut-microbe diversity loss echoes our permanent one, study shows

The Hadza, a small group of hunter-gatherers inhabiting Tanzania's Rift Valley, number just over 1,000 people, fewer than 200 of whom still adhere to the traditional …

Unknown bugs dominate the human microbiome

There’s been growing attention to the human microbiome – the collection of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes residing inside our bodies – and how a …

Award-winning project takes on threat of multidrug-resistant bacteria

The moment of insight that leads to new drug discoveries and therapies can come from just about anywhere. For Stanford students Christian Choe, Maria Filsinger Interrante and Zachary …

Stanford researchers use color-coding to pinpoint locations of gut-bacterial strains

In a mouse study published today in Cell, Stanford microbiologist Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, and his colleagues have been able to simultaneously visualize multiple bacterial strains in lab …

Stomach bugs’ bad acid trip: Scientists find tools H. pylori uses to sense organ’s wicked secretions

The stomach is one of the human body's most extreme environments, pumping out about 1.5 liters of strong acid daily. So it's no wonder that omeprazole …

Undergraduates tackle growing threat of antibiotic resistance

A few months ago I had the opportunity to watch some undergraduate teams pitch their start up biotech ideas to a group of Stanford scientists …

Stanley Falkow awarded National Medal of Science, White House announces today

Exciting news today: Stanley Falkow, PhD, has been awarded the 2015 National Medal of Science. The honor was announced today by the White House. Falkow is …

Investigating the human microbiome: “We’re only just beginning and there is so much more to explore”

The more scientists learn about the body's community of bacteria, the more they believe that the human microbiome plays an important role in our overall …

Make it or break it — or both: New research reveals RNA’s dual role

Behind every big biomedical breakthrough lies boatloads of basic biology. In that vein, a new finding published today in Cell shakes up a fundamental view …

Study: Chimps teach people a thing or two about HIV resistance

I, personally, have never had trouble distinguishing a human being from a chimp. I look, and I know. But I'm not a molecular biologist. Today's …

Stanford microbiologist's secret sauce for disease detection

Last week, John Boothroyd, PhD, kicked off Stanford’s first Disease Detective lecture series with a fascinating tale about how his lab invented a simple biochemical …