New class of enzymes could lead to bespoke diets, therapeutics
Professor Emily Balskus and her team have identified an entirely new class of enzymes that degrade chemicals essential for neurological health, but also help digest foods like nuts, berries, and tea, releasing nutrients that may impact human health.
Caitlin McDermott-MurphyFeb. 18, 2020 | harvard
~6 mins
Tags: science-technology bacteria basic-research berries bespoke-diets caitlin-mcdermott-murphy cancer chemistry chemistry-and-chemical-biology chocolate coffee diet dopamine emily-balskus enzymes gut l-dopa microbes microbiology microbiome nutrition nuts parkinsons-disease science vayu-maini-rekdal
Creating a reliable clock to track changes in microbiome
The microbiome is a treasure trove of information about human health and disease, but getting it to reveal its secrets is challenging, especially when attempting to study it in living subjects. A new genetic “repressilator” lets scientists noninvasively study its dynamics, acting like a clock that tracks how bacterial growth changes over time with single-cell precision.
Lindsay BrownellOct. 11, 2019 | harvard
~9 mins
Tags: science-technology bacterial-growth harvard-medical-school microbiome repressilator wyss-institute
How a biofriendly fertilizer could offer a greener way to grow plants
Harvard scientists are teaming up with sustainability officers and landscaping experts to test a new fertilizer that won’t wash into water supplies.
Caitlin McDermott-MurphySept. 24, 2019 | harvard
~8 mins
Tags: science-technology bacteria caitlin-mcdermott-murphy-climate-change chemistry daniel-nocera dilek-dogutan fas harvard-landscaping-services landscaping office-for-sustainability paif paul-smith photosynthesis presidents-administrative-innovation-fund quentin-gilly sustainability undergraduate-research
Probiotic hydrogels heal gut wounds other bandages can’t reach
Harvard researchers have developed hydrogels that can be produced from bacterial cultures and applied to intestinal surfaces for faster wound healing.
Benjamin BoettnerAug. 12, 2019 | harvard
~8 mins
Tags: health-medicine bacterial-hydrogels curli-nanofibers e-coli gut harvard-john-a-paulson-school-of-engineering-and-applied-sciences mucoadhesive-nanofibers seas wyss-institute-for-biologically-inspired-engineering-at-harvard-university
Harvard study suggests asteroids might play key role in spreading life
Scientists at the Institute for Theory and Computation have made a comprehensive calculation suggesting that panspermia could happen, and have found that as many as 10 trillion asteroid-sized objects might exist that carry life.
Peter ReuellJuly 8, 2019 | harvard
~5 mins
Tags: science-technology abraham-loeb asteroid faculty-of-arts-and-sciences fas galactic-panspermia ginsburg harvard idan-ginsburg life lingam loeb manasvi-lingam microbes nanobacteria panspermia
Performance-enhancing bacteria found in the human microbiome
A single microbe accumulating in the microbiome of elite athletes can enhance exercise performance in mice, paving the way to highly validated performance-enhancing probiotics.
Benjamin BoettnerJune 24, 2019 | harvard
~9 mins
Tags: health-medicine aleksandar-kostic athletes boston-marathon george-church harvard-medical-school jacob-luber jonathan-scheiman joslin-diabetes-center-in-boston lactate performance-enhancing-bacteria probiotics propionate theodore-chavkin v-atypica veillonella wyss-institute-for-biologically-inspired-engineering
Harvard researchers find gut microbes can lessen effectiveness of medicines
Study published in Science shows that gut microbes can chew up medications, with serious side effects.
Caitlin McDermott-MurphyJune 19, 2019 | harvard
~9 mins
Tags: science-technology caitlin-mcdermott-murphy chemistry chemistry-and-chemical-biology emily-balskus fas graduate-school-of-arts-and-sciences gut-bacteria microbiome parkinsons-disease science vayu-maini-rekdal
Harvard scientist finds microbial contaminants in e-cigs
New research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has examined 75 popular e-cigarette brands and found that 27 percent contained traces of bacterial and fungal toxins associated with myriad health problems.
Chris SweeneyApril 25, 2019 | harvard
~4 mins
Tags: health-medicine david-christiani e-cigarettes electronic-cigarettes environmental-health-perspectives fungi gluten gram-negative-bacteria joseph-allen mi-sun-lee microbial-contaminants
Harvard study looks at how microbes produce cancer fighting compound
Emily Balskus and a team of researchers untangled how soil bacteria are able to manufacture streptozotocin, an antibiotic and anti-cancer compound.
Peter ReuellFeb. 7, 2019 | harvard
~4 mins
Tags: science-technology bacteria balskus basic-research biology cancer chemistry chemotherapy emily-balskus enzyme faculty-of-arts-and-sciences fas harvard nature nitrosamine peter-reuell reuell soil soil-bacteria streptozotocin
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