A pathogen (Greek: ÏÎ¬Î¸Î¿Ï pathos âsuffering, passionâ and Î³ÎµÎ½Î®Ï genÄs âproducer ofâ) or infectious agent (colloquially known as a germ) is a microorganismâin the widest sense, such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungusâthat causes disease in its host. The host may be an animal (including humans), a plant, or even another microorganism.[1][2]
It’s a bird! No, it’s a plane! No, it’s… microbes ?! High up in the atmosphere, 10.000 meters above ground, researchers have found over 100 species of bacteria doing just fine in stormy clouds. Each year, hundreds of millions of tons of dust, water and man-maned pollutans make their way into the atmosphere, often traveling [...]
In what can only be described as a milestone in biological and genetic engineering, scientists at Stanford University have, for the first time ever, simulated a complete bacterium. With the organism completely in virtual form, the scientists can perform any kind of modification on its genome and observe extremely quickly what kind of changes would [...]
Tue, Jan 29, 2013
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