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Finding Cancer: Can you hear the light?

Finding cancers early allows for more effective treatment with the least side effects, so finding better ways to detect cancers is an important part of the fight. A new technique may help us “hear” where cancers are, allowing doctors to diagnose cancers more precisely than is currently possible. The technique, which is called photoacoustic tomography, takes pictures of sound waves that come from tissues when laser light is shined on the tissue. This is possible because different parts of the body absorb different amounts of light. When light is absorbed, it raises the temperature of the tissue, and the temperature More >

Be careful what species you carry on your feet!

Have you ever considered that the one of the most diverse places on earth can be directly under your feet?

When we walk, our shoes pick up various seen and unseen organisms.  Many of us walking through a field or park may be stepping on and carrying seeds from various plants. Seeds blow in the wind and also creep into the crevices of our clothes and bags.  As carriers, we then transport them to new areas, making each of us essentially a seed planter. At first glance this seems like a nice job description.  However, the problem lies in the fact More >

1 day-old chick

Just a Cluck Away from E. coli

1 day-old chick

When people hear the name E. coli, even a passing familiarity brings about reactions of disgust and fear of food poisoning.  This outright hatred of the common bacteria is, perhaps, a bit unwarranted, considering there are many different types of Escherichia coli.  Not only are there harmful strains, but there are also many that are harmless to humans and some that are even helpful as well.  We actually have our own E. coli that live in our intestines, take some of our nutrients and make essential vitamin K2 for us, which we cannot make for ourselves. Vitamin K is More >