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The Battle of the Ugliest Organisms

Aug 06, 2008

Researchers at Swansea University in Wales are developing an antibiotic from maggot secretions of the common green bottle fly, according to an article in the BBC. They will use mass spec to identify the substance, which they've named Seraticin, to treat common hospital-acquired infections like MRSA, E. coli, and C. difficile.

Breaking News
The Scan

Pig Organ Transplants Considered

The Wall Street Journal reports that the US Food and Drug Administration may soon allow clinical trials that involve transplanting pig organs into humans.

'Poo-Bank' Proposal

Harvard Medical School researchers suggest people should bank stool samples when they are young to transplant when they later develop age-related diseases.

Spurred to Develop Again

New Scientist reports that researchers may have uncovered why about 60 percent of in vitro fertilization embryos stop developing.

Science Papers Examine Breast Milk Cell Populations, Cerebral Cortex Cellular Diversity, Micronesia Population History

In Science this week: unique cell populations found within breast milk, 100 transcriptionally distinct cell populations uncovered in the cerebral cortex, and more.