Page 6 - Microbiology and Life Science News

Oktoberfest is an annual beer festival held over the course of two weeks during September-October in Munich, Germany Its origins date back to October 12, 1810, when the festival was first held to celebrate the marriage of Prince Louis of Bavaria, who later became King, to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Over the years, the festival has evolved to include an amusement park and fun-fair, food and drink stalls, and several large and lively beer halls, where much of the merry-making takes place.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines air pollution as the "contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere." This International Clean Air Day, let's try to clean up our act and strive for clean air and blue skies by making a concerted effort to reduce our carbon footprint.

What is Chemical Oxygen Demand?. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed to oxidize organic matter present in water. COD testing is conducted to determine how much organic matter is present in a water sample and how much oxidation will occur. COD testing can also be used to determine the levels of inorganic chemicals present in a sample, [1] and is used to quantify pollution levels in water.  A higher COD value indicates greater pollution levels in a water sample.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by Schistosome flatworms and is considered one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases, which are a group of tropical diseases endemic to low-income populations of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. However, Schistosomiasis affects more than 200 million people worldwide, and the CDC has placed it second only to malaria as the most devastating parasitic disease. 

A 2017 study(1) estimates that up to 2.41 million tons of plastic enters the ocean via rivers every year, but if one includes all land-based sources of plastic, the total amount of plastic entering the oceans each year could be higher than 12 million tons(2).  One of the biggest hurdles to solving the marine plastics problem is that no matter how fast we remove it from our oceans and beaches, there is a steady flow entering the oceans every day. In order to make any headway, we need to not only tackle the plastic that is already in the ocean, we also need to eradicate plastic pollution at the source to prevent it from getting into the ocean in the first place. Scientists have now created a super-powered mutant enzyme that is designed to quickly degrade plastic into components suitable for reuse, which could be a game-changer.

Marine plastic debris is one of the biggest environmental problems of our time. Plastics are found in all corners of the world’s ocean, from the surface down to the seabed, and pollutes even the most remote beaches all across the world. Because plastic is so durable, it doesn’t simply break down in the environment, but rather slowly disintegrates into tiny bits of plastic which float on the surface or are suspended in the water column before finally sinking to the seafloor where they accumulate over time.

Eight cups, three liters, one gallon? Straight water or added vitamins and electrolytes? Everybody has an opinion on what it means to be hydrated. Drinking water every day helps regulate mood, keeps the body from overheating, and supports healthy skin and digestion. But staying hydrated without consistent access to clean drinking water can be a challenge. 

The accuracy of your TEER assay measurement depends on several things, but membrane quality is undeniably one of the essential factors to consider. Now, there’s a sustainable and cruelty-free cell culture membrane that can be used.

As of the last quarter of 2021, approximately 44 countries from around the world have banned animal testing. Every European Union country, Australia, Colombia, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and a number of Brazilian states are among them. As more governments outlaw practices of animal testing, is there another option that could be used as alternative?