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How are other living organisms threatening to human beings? We could be mauled by bears, poisoned by mushrooms, or stung by wasps. However, what if that organism was small—microscopically small? These tiny organisms can sometimes make us sick with…

On a November day in 1721, a small bomb was hurled through the window of a local Boston Reverend named Cotton Mather. Attached to the explosive, which fortunately did not detonate, was the message: “Cotton Mather, you dog, dam you! I’ll inoculate…

What do you think is the deadliest animal in the world? Sharks? Nope. Snakes? Nope. Humans? Getting closer, but no. Mosquitoes? Ding, Ding, Ding! We have a winner. If you give them credit for malaria and the other diseases that they carry, mosquitoes are…

A major threat to public health all over the world today is the rise of harmful “superbug” bacteria that are very difficult to kill with antibiotics. One of the most well-known superbugs is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an…

The age distribution of human populations is unique among animal species. Children remain dependent on their parents for an extended time, and the elderly live long after the end of their reproductive period. Some scientists now speculate that…

From Scientists recreate what may be life’s first spark Credit: Wikimedia Commons, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleobase#mediaviewer/File:DNA_chemical_structure.svg How did life originate? This puzzle has been studied by scientists for hundreds of…

When it comes to smoking and cancer, men are mysteriously worse off: over 30% of cancer deaths in males are connected to smoking, compared to ~20% in women. It’s not all due to lung cancer either – male smokers also have a higher incidence of…

Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs – the hot new word for concussions) often transition from minor/temporary injuries to major/long-term problems when multiple head traumas occur before the brain fully recovers. The current methods for diagnosis…

Sawdust- “wood wool”; by Priwo (photo taken by de:Benutzer:Priwo) [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsHumans can’t digest cellulose. Similarly, we’ve found it hard to efficiently break down cellulose in biomass for energy applications, until now.…

“Did you get your flu shot?” If your friends are anything like mine, you heard this question at least a dozen times before Thanksgiving. You probably got your fair share of disdainful looks too, if you answered “No.” But why are we worried about getting…