ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

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• Promising discovery in fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria
• New, fossil-fuel-free process makes biodiesel sustainable
• Harmful bacteria can linger on airplane seat-back pockets, armrests for days
• Improved supercapacitors for super batteries, electric vehicles
• E-cigarettes may boost resistance of drug-resistant pathogens

Promising discovery in fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria Posted: 22 May 2014 02:57 PM PDT A small molecule that prevents bacteria from forming into biofilms, a frequent cause of infections, has been discovered by researchers. The anti-biofilm peptide works on a range of bacteria including many that cannot be treated by antibiotics. "Currently there is a severe problem with antibiotic-resistant organisms," says the lead author of the study. "Our entire arsenal of antibiotics is gradually losing effectiveness."

New, fossil-fuel-free process makes biodiesel sustainable Posted: 21 May 2014 10:38 AM PDT A new fuel-cell concept will allow biodiesel plants to eliminate the creation of hazardous wastes while removing their dependence on fossil fuel from their production process. The platform, which uses microbes to glean ethanol from glycerol and has the added benefit of cleaning up the wastewater, will allow producers to reincorporate the ethanol and the water into the fuel-making process.

Harmful bacteria can linger on airplane seat-back pockets, armrests for days Posted: 20 May 2014 07:04 AM PDT Disease-causing bacteria can linger on surfaces commonly found in airplane cabins for days, even up to a week, according to research. In order for disease-causing bacteria to be transmitted from a cabin surface to a person, it must survive the environmental conditions in the airplane. In this study, MRSA lasted longest (168 hours) on material from the seat-back pocket while E. coli O157:H7 survived longest (96 hours) on the material from the armrest.

Improved supercapacitors for super batteries, electric vehicles Posted: 19 May 2014 09:25 AM PDT Researchers have developed a novel nanometer scale ruthenium oxide anchored nanocarbon graphene foam architecture that improves the performance of supercapacitors, a development that could mean faster acceleration in electric vehicles and longer battery life in portable electronics.

E-cigarettes may boost resistance of drug-resistant pathogens Posted: 19 May 2014 05:45 AM PDT Despite being touted by their manufacturers as a healthy alternative to cigarettes, e-cigarettes appear in a laboratory study to increase the virulence of drug- resistant and potentially life-threatening bacteria, while decreasing the ability of human cells to kill these bacteria. "The virulence of MRSA is increased by e-cigarette vapor," said the lead investigator. However, she added, the vapor did not make the bacteria as aggressive as cigarette smoke exposure did in parallel studies conducted.

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