White-nose syndrome: Bats hit by killer disease. 5 May 2011Last updated at 05:18 By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC News, New York state Descent into darkness: Biologist Carl Herzog heads into an abandoned mine to assess the damage of the killer disease The descent into the abandoned mine is treacherous. The loose rocks, caked in mud, ice and guano, slip and slide under your feet. At some points the entrance is so tight, the only option is to crawl through the dirt, flat on your belly. But for this team of scientists, it is a rare chance to assess the damage of a mystery killer that has so far led to the deaths of more than a million bats in North America. The disease, called white-nose syndrome, came out of nowhere, taking scientists completely by surprise. It was first found in 2006, in a cave in New York state, near to the site we have just entered. Now it has now been confirmed in 16 US states, suspected in two others, and has been found in four Canadian provinces.
The Indiana bats in the mine have been badly hit by the disease. Human_microbiome_project. Logo of the Human Microbiome Project. The Human Microbiome Project (HMP) was a United States National Institutes of Health initiative with the goal of identifying and characterizing the microorganisms which are found in association with both healthy and diseased humans (the human microbiome). Launched in 2008,[1] it was a five-year project, best characterized as a feasibility study, and had a total budget of $115 million. The ultimate goal of this and similar NIH-sponsored microbiome projects was to test how changes in the human microbiome are associated with human health or disease. This topic is currently not well understood. Introduction[edit] Depiction of prevalences of various classes of bacteria at selected sites on human skin. The HMP will address some of the most inspiring, vexing and fundamental scientific questions today.
The HMP has been described as "a logical conceptual and experimental extension of the Human Genome Project Goals[edit] The HMP includes the following goals:[7] Gut flora. Description[edit] Over 99% of the bacteria in the gut are anaerobes,[3][4][11][14] but in the cecum, aerobic bacteria reach high densities.[3] The compositions of microbiota rely on several factors like host diet, colonization history, and immune status.[15] Some microbes are better suited to compliment specific metabolic enzymes over others. For example, Bacteroides change how they breakdown carbohydrates depending on if they received the right amount of certain substrates.[16] For instance, if humans began to fast extensively or discontinue feeding their bodies it would increase their intestinal permeability and in turn, hyper-stimulate the immune system and translocate the bacteria.
This speaks nothing, but havoc and destruction on one’s body.[17] Types[edit] Not all the species in the gut have been identified[3][4] because most cannot be cultured,[4][11][18] and identification is difficult. Enterotype[edit] Age[edit] Gut flora and diet[edit] Geography[edit] Functions[edit] BBC - Earth News - Rare fungus discovered in England for first time. Multiclavula vernalis hits Hampshire A rare fungus has been sighted in England for the first time.
The fungus Multiclavula vernalis, which forms a tiny, orange fruiting body, was found in Hampshire on land used for training by the British Army. Experts from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew confirmed the fungus's identity. The fungus usually prefers much colder climates and has only previously been recorded in the British Isles in the Outer Hebrides and on the Shetland Isles. Moving south Keith Blackmore, assistant reserves and grazing project officer for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, found the small patch of tiny, orange, club-shaped fungi on a site owned and used by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for army training. "I knew it was a very unusual discovery when I saw it but I didn't know exactly what it was," said Blackmore. "Having sought expert advice, I'm really thrilled to find out it's an exciting first for England.