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RTD info crosses its latest frontier
September 18, 2003The latest edition of RTD info will take you on a voyage of discovery into the world of science and technology. Issue 38 heads for the stars to explore the European space programme and plunges to the depths of Black Sea clean-up efforts. It also examines how eating bacteria can be good for people and whether free software is the next big thing.
As science fiction never tires of telling us: space is the final frontier. And it is a frontier where Europe is determined to leave its mark. Space research is a field with potentially enormous implications for society, which has prompted the European Commission to launch a wide-ranging debate on the matter.
As its contribution, RTD info 38 investigates the future of the European space programme, how space technology touches our day-to-day lives, the potential of manned missions, satellites and global positioning systems, as well as efforts to answer the more philosophical question of whether there was ever life on Mars.
Back on Earth, we plunge to the depths of the Black Sea to showcase efforts to clean up this important waterway. We chew over the beneficial effects of some gutsy little bacteria in our digestive systems which scientists are discovering can strengthen our immune systems.
The magazine also opens up the guts of computers to look into the mind-boggling array of software property rights out there. It asks some hard questions about whether software is patentable intellectual property or openly accessible public knowledge.
Interviews with key players in research and the views of opinion-setters make RTD info essential reading for anyone interested in science and research.
You can obtain a free copy by e-mailing research@cec.eu.int, or read it on-line at: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/research/rtdinfo_en.html.
European Commission, Research Directorate
Bacteria Current Events and Bacteria News RSSMetabolic reactions: Less is more in single-celled organisms
A Northwestern University study has found a surprising similarity among four quite different organisms. The simplest organism, a bacterium called H. pylori, uses the same number of biochemical reactions (around 300) as yeast, the largest, most complex organism of the group, when optimizing growth.
Novel bioreactor enhances interleukin-12 production in genetically-modified tobacco plants
Interleukin-12 is a naturally occurring protein essential for the proper functioning of the human immune system.
Researchers identify cell group key to Lyme disease arthritis
A research team led by the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology and Albany Medical College has illuminated the important role of natural killer (NK) T cells in Lyme disease, demonstrating that the once little understood white blood cells are central to clearing the bacterial infection and reducing the intensity and duration of arthritis associated with Lyme disease.
Blood tests can help detect presence of necrotizing soft tissue infections
With less than half of patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections displaying the physical signs of these very serious infections, researchers have found two simple blood tests can help physicians diagnose what is commonly known as "flesh-eating bacteria," according to a study in the December issue of The American Journal of Surgery.
Vaccine and drug research aimed at ticks and mosquitoes to prevent disease transmission
Most successful vaccines and drugs rely on protecting humans or animals by blocking certain bacteria from growing in their systems. But, a new theory actually hopes to take stopping infectious diseases such as West Nile virus and Malaria to the next level by disabling insects from transmitting these viruses.
Research in twins defines shared features of the human gut microbial communities: variations linked to obesity
Trillions of microbes make their home in the gut, where they help to break down and extract energy and nutrients from the food we eat. Yet, scientists have understood little about how this distinctive mix of microbes varies from one individual to the next.
Rivers are carbon processors, not inert pipelines
Microorganisms in rivers and streams play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle that has not previously been considered.
Vitamin D found to fight placental infection
In a paper available at the online site of the journal Biology of Reproduction, a team of UCLA researchers reports for the first time that vitamin D induces immune responses in placental tissues by stimulating production of the antimicrobial protein cathelicidin.
CSHL scientists discover a new way in which epigenetic information is inherited
Hereditary information flows from parents to offspring not just through DNA but also through the millions of proteins and other molecules that cling to it.
Researchers identify how binge drinking may drive heart disease
As the holidays arrive, a group of researchers has identified the precise mechanisms by which binge drinking contributes to clogs in arteries that lead to heart attack and stroke, according to a study published today in the journal Atherosclerosis.
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