31 Items Tagged

Bacteria

<em>Approaching Storm</em> by German landscape painter Julius Bergmann shows a cowherd bringing his animals to shelter.

Can Thunderstorms Spoil Milk?

The answer eluded scientists for centuries.

Andrew Coletti July 30, 2024

Sterilizing paint brushes and destroying the living paintings help prevent outbreaks to the general public.

Creating a Bacteria Painting Is an Elegant But Dangerous Art

The living germ artworks must be destroyed after creation.

Asia London Palomba May 14, 2024

By Air, Land, or Sea, Tiny Microbes Transform Our World

They often get a bad rap, but bacteria prevent erosion, undergird ecosystems, and make artificial snow.

Susanne Wedlich March 7, 2023

Podcast: Micropia

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

The Podcast Team November 30, 2021

The Glanville fritillary is common throughout most of Europe and parts of northern Africa.

These Butterflies Full of Wasps Full of Microwasps Are a Science Nightmare

Accidentally released on a Finnish island 30 years ago, the parasites are spreading.

Patrick Barkham October 11, 2021

Life in the trenches was crowded, when you factor in all the humans, rats, and lice.

Found: Cases of ‘Trench Fever’ in Ancient Rome

The five-day fever was made famous during World War I, but has been a constant companion of poor hygiene.

Isaac Schultz December 2, 2020

One of da Vinci's self-portraits in the laboratory.

Zooming in on the Microbiome of Some da Vinci Masterpieces

A new study found plenty of bacteria, fungi, and insect remains, but nothing to be alarmed about.

Matthew Taub November 25, 2020

Did Early Humans Invent Hot Pot in Geothermal Pools?

A mystery microbe found at Olduvai Gorge inspired scientists to speculate about the origins of cooking.

Isaac Schultz September 30, 2020

Please don't taste this rainbow.

The South Carolina Forest That Looks Like Melted Ice Cream

When conditions are right, the waters of Congaree National Park can look like bright scoops pooling on a sidewalk.

Jessica Leigh Hester June 25, 2020

Heston Blumenthal (right), trying to brie calm, with Thomas Meany, maker of cheeses from humans.

These Dairy Devils Are Making Cheese From Celebrities' Bacteria

Aged, ripe, and not for consumption.

Rohini Chaki May 14, 2019

Olive groves in the Puglia countryside.

Italian Olive Oil Is Facing a Perfect Storm of Climate and Pests

It may not be long before the country has to import some of its supply.

Noor Al-Samarrai March 8, 2019

If humans go extinct, mushrooms may rule the world.

This Engineer Is Preparing to Feed a World Without Sunlight

How do you feed eight billion people during a nuclear winter?

Reina Gattuso February 19, 2019

The desert landscape is varied—and often foggy.

The Secret World Inside Tiny Fog Droplets

From the Namib Desert to Maine, fog is teeming with life.

Jessica Leigh Hester August 30, 2018

Sweet Potato Fly

Fermenting tubers with spices, eggshells, and sugar creates a fizzy, wassail-flavored drink.

Even if riders keep to themselves, microbes mix and mingle on the Hong Kong subway every day.

How Microbes Commute on the Hong Kong Subway

Meet the smallest straphangers.

Jessica Leigh Hester July 31, 2018

Cougar Gold Cheese

This canned cheddar is made using a secret 70-year-old bacteria culture.

Salt-Rising Bread

Bacteria that cause gangrene are the magic ingredient in this cheese-scented loaf.

The culture sits on plush velvet.

objects of intrigue

The Moldy Medallions That Preserve Penicillin's Past

Alexander Fleming, the researcher who discovered it, started culturing commemorative keepsakes.

Jessica Leigh Hester May 10, 2018