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Keyword: streptomyces

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  • The 500-million-year-old reason behind the unique scent of rain

    04/07/2020 8:30:02 AM PDT · by rightwingcrazy · 46 replies
    New Atlas ^ | April 06, 2020 | Rich Haridy
    New research from an international team of scientists is suggesting that instantly recognizable earthy smell after rain is released by bacteria trying to attract a particular arthropod as a way to spread its spores. The smell is a 500-million-year-old example of chemical communication, evolved to help a particular type of bacteria spread. Scientists have long been fascinated by the unique odor that appears when it rains. The scent is particularly prominent when the first rains of a season hit dry soil. Two Australian researchers named the odor petrichor, after an influential study in the 1960s suggested a particular oil is...
  • Ancient Fermanagh cure gets modern makeover

    01/08/2019 8:54:17 PM PST · by Theoria · 16 replies
    BBC ^ | 29 Dec 2018 | Julian Fowler
    An ancient folk remedy from County Fermanagh could help scientists in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria. According to local belief, the soil from a churchyard in Boho can cure infections. A microbiologist who took samples to see if there was any scientific basis for the cure has made an astonishing discovery. Dr Gerry Quinn found a unique strain of streptomyces, a microorganism used to produce antibiotics. It was found to kill the top three pathogens (organisms that cause disease) identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a major threat to human health. "When we brought the soil back to...