On the 20th April 2010, the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the northern Gulf of Mexico resulted in one of the largest marine oil spills in the history of the petroleum industry. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil (with 1 barrel being equivalent to about 159 liters of oil) was discharged … Continue reading Part II. Bacteria (and microbes): Nature’s natural remedies and its applications
Part I. Bacteria (and microbes): The [not so] secret life of bacteria
Often when we think of bacteria, we are inclined to immediately think of unhygienic environments and/or disease. Simply put, we instantly think that bacteria = bad. However, bacteria are so much more than what we give them credit for. In fact, bacteria can actually be far more beneficial and important to human health and the … Continue reading Part I. Bacteria (and microbes): The [not so] secret life of bacteria
Microbe Soup to Warm the Gut: How delivery mode can influence the early development of the gut microbiome
As the European days start to become shorter and the evenings a lot cooler, the thought of a good bowl of warm, creamy soup, which is spiced just right and tastes delicious is enough to make any person feel warm and cosy. Most people will tell you, however, that the perfect soup requires multiple high-quality … Continue reading Microbe Soup to Warm the Gut: How delivery mode can influence the early development of the gut microbiome
It’s in your DNA
In my previous post, we looked at the history of how the ‘secret of life’, namely the helical structure (like a spiraling staircase) of DNA, was discovered in 1953. While the helical structure is well-known to us, the question that remains is what is DNA actually chemically made up of? And how does this allow … Continue reading It’s in your DNA
The secret to life – past and present
You might already know by now, that the reason your physical features resemble your biological parents' physical features is because of the molecule we call deoxyribonucleic acid – or DNA. Moreover, you will probably have guessed that DNA is the essential code to all life, from the smallest to the largest living organism on Earth. … Continue reading The secret to life – past and present
#ShutDownAcademia #ShutDownSTEM
Today, June 10th 2020, marks the day in which the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) communities were called to #ShutDownAcademia and to #ShutDownSTEM for the day to focus on educating ourselves on the realities of systemic racism and biases in STEM. The goal, as described by one of the organisers was to “reflect on … Continue reading #ShutDownAcademia #ShutDownSTEM
The Circle of Life: Part Human, Part Microbe
The human-microbiome balanceThe 'Circle of Life' is a concept that all life exists in a delicate balance. It is the idea that life is essentially an ecosystem in which one factor benefits from and provides for another. These essential relationships can have varying time periods, but most have existed for vast lengths of time. An … Continue reading The Circle of Life: Part Human, Part Microbe
SciFact 