NEWS FEED
News Stories relating to "germs"
Bacteria in the Clouds
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Researchers have discovered the presence of significant numbers of living microorganisms--mostly bacteria--in the middle and upper troposphere, the part of the atmosphere four to six miles above the Earth's surface. In other words, the clouds are filled with germs! Do they fall...
read more
We're Vulnerable to Germ Warfare
Friday, November 2, 2012
There are lots of attacks that don't involve bombs--or flying jets into buildings, as happened on 911 (NOTE: ...
read more
1 comment
Bacteria Fights Off Viruses
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
There may be a good reason why our bodies are covered with bacteria: It turns out that bacteria fights off viruses.
Science Daily quotes researcher David Artis as saying, "From our studies in mice, we found that signals derived from these beneficial...
read more
Science Daily quotes researcher David Artis as saying, "From our studies in mice, we found that signals derived from these beneficial...
Autism May Happen Because We're Too Clean
Friday, August 31, 2012
Autism may be caused by sperm degeneration in older dads, but it could ALSO be caused by a weakened immune system in the mother. Modern immune systems are less efficient than those in the past. Why?...
read more
It's Dangerous to be Too Clean (Part II)
Thursday, August 30, 2012
We may be dirty, but exposure to common antibacterial chemicals and preservatives found in soap, toothpaste, mouthwash and other personal-care products may make children more likely to have food and environmental allergies.
Researcher Jennifer Savage says, "We saw a...
read more
3 comments
Researcher Jennifer Savage says, "We saw a...
What About Airport Germs?
Monday, August 27, 2012
As if X-rays weren't enough, we have to take our shoes off in an airport. Do we pick up dangerous germs if we've forgotten to wear socks? And what about those bins--is the TSA line going to replace...
read more
It's Dangerous to be Too Clean
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Why do we have so much bacteria all over our bodies? One reason may be that they fight off viruses. That's why it can be dangerous...
read more
The Five Second Rule
Friday, August 10, 2012
The hot dog that rolls off the plate, the baby’s cookie that falls on the floor, the candy bar that slides across the table--we're told we have five seconds to pick it up before it's contaminated. Is this true?
Researcher Jorge Parada says, "A dropped item is...
read more
Researcher Jorge Parada says, "A dropped item is...
Time to Get Dirty
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
We have a problem: We're just too clean! The rise in allergies and autoimmune diseases during the past few decades may be at least partly due to our lack of exposure to the microorganisms in dirt.
We once walked barefoot in the dirt and washed it off of our food. Now we...
read more
We once walked barefoot in the dirt and washed it off of our food. Now we...
Freaks and Geeks
Friday, July 27, 2012
In 1968, a comedy called "The Odd Couple," starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, told the story of two divorced men, Felix Ungar (a neurotic neatfreak) and Oscar Madison (a fun-loving slob) who decide to live together. This is a script that plays itself out again and again as college starts and students find themselves paired with...
read more
2 comments
Hotel Hygiene--How Clean is That Room?
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Think your desk is filthy? What about your hotel room? We all hope the room we rent is clean and hygienic, but we have no way of knowing how clean it really is. If...
read more
Your Office is Loaded With Germs
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Here's another way men and women are different: Men's offices have more bacteria than women's offices. Also, New York City offices have more germs in them that San Francisco offices (and what about the bathrooms...
read more
Bad Air Vents at Secret Gov. Lab May be Blowing Germs Our Way
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Secret government documents and emails reveal that a $214 million CDC bioterror germ lab in Atlanta has had repeated problems with airflow systems designed to help prevent the release of infectious agents. The lab is violating basic laboratory operating...
read more
1 comment
Think Twice Before Getting That Manicure
Monday, December 19, 2011
Thinking of getting your nails done for those holiday parties? How about a new haircut? We hate to make you paranoid (NOTE:...
read more
1 comment
Can You Catch a Disease from Restaurant Dishes?
Monday, July 25, 2011
Can you catch the flu from your restaurant plate? It's an important question: There are 20 million cases of acute gastroenteritis and 128,000 hospitalizations a year that are attributed to food-borne illness. Food expert Melvin Pascall says, "While there...
read more
1 comment
It's snowing bacteria!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
A study of hailstones has found large numbers of bacteria at their cores. It turns out that the bacteria help create the snow and hail, since their coating of protein causes water to freeze at relatively warm temperatures. In fact, bacteria works so well that it's used in snow-making machines.
read more
Bacteria Civil War
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
While we desperately wage war against bacteria by developing new varieties of antibiotics, there's at least SOME good news: some types of bacteria wage a kind of "civil war" against EACH OTHER. There are predators in the bacterial world that consume other bacteria, much as predators attack prey in the animal world. Some of these predator...
read more
1 comment
Germs Released After 15 Million Years
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Scientists are melting ice from a lake in Antarctica that has been frozen for a million years, in order to study the microbes trapped within it. Are they releasing something that could be dangerous?
Researchers have thawed ice estimated to be at least a million years old from above Lake Vostok, an ancient lake that lies hidden more than...
How Can You Be Sure Those Dishes are Clean?
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
The highest bacteria counts can sometimes be found where you least expect them. Kitchen counters are breeding places for germs?but what about restaurants?
Most restaurants use automatic dishwashers, but small restaurants and bars often wash dishes and glassware by hand. New research answers a basic question about eating and drinking at...
Toilet Seats: Safer Than You Think
Friday, June 9, 2006
When you go into a public toilet, do you dread sitting down? It turns out that these are not the repository for germs that we tend to think they are. In fact, in the home anyway, the toilet seat is often the most germ-free surface in the house!
Two years ago, we wrote about a study that showed that the cleaner your kitchen looks, the...
Allergic to Home
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Worried about pollution? Stay away from home, where moving around?and even vacuuming?can kick up enough dust particles to be hazardous to your health. Maybe this will reassure you: the toilet seat is the most germ free place in your house.
Michael Bernstein writes for the American Chemical Society that that ordinary household activities...
News by Subject
911
animals
anthrax
asteroid
bees
bigfoot
birds
brain
cancer
cell phone
china
christmas
climate change
crop circles
diary
dna
drought
earthquake
fish
flu
food
hurricane
internet
iraq
journal
mad cow disease
mars
money
moon
obesity
oil
oil shortage
politics
poll
pollution
prehistoric
recession
seti
sex
smoking
solar
space
spying
sun
terrorism
ufo
ufos
volcano
war
william henry