“The Trauma Of Gastric Bypass May Not Be Necessary For Massive Weight Loss” by Dina Spector in the Business Insider discuss that the bacteria that live in the human gut may be behind the rapid success of gastric bypass surgery.  Gastric bypass surgery is a form of weight-loss surgery that is performed on morbidly obese people to made the size of the stomach smaller.  Understanding the mechanisms that are in the patients’ guts could design a less invasive way to help the obese lose weight.  A study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine suggests that the effects of gastric bypass are aided by changes of microbes in the human intestine.  Experiments done in mice proved that the gastric bypass, not calorie restriction or weight loss in general, triggers these microbial changes.

http://www.businessinsider.com/gastric-bypass-gut-microbes-2013-3

“Bacteria Could Generate Clean Electricity” by Times of India in the India Times discusses British scientists having made an important breakthrough in the quest to generate clean electricity from bacteria.  Proteins on the surface of bacteria can produce an electric current by touching a mineral surface.  This proves that bacteria can transfer electricity through their cell membranes.  Bacteria can possibly be tethered to electrodes in an effort to create bio-batteries.  A marine bacterium called Shewanella oneidensis.  The experiment included creating a synthetic version of the bacteria using just the proteins researchers thought was able to shuttle electrons.  These proteins were inserted into small capsules of the membranes.  Then they tested how well the electrons travelled.  The experiment conducted by Dr. Tom Clarke, that these proteins can produce an electric current when touching a mineral surface.

http://www.indiatimes.com/technology/science/bacteria-could-generate-clean-electricity-68900.html

“Mapping The Microbes That Flourish On Fruits and Veggies” by Nancy Shute in NPR discusses the “quiet” bacteria that has not be entirely researched that live on fruits and vegetables.  Scientists at the University of Colorado have taken the first broad inventory of all the microbes that live on eleven popular fresh foods such as strawberries, lettuce, and tomatoes.  It was found that these microbes differ greatly from conventional grown and organically grown produce.  Many of the bacteria found on the produce were from the Enterobacteriaceae, a group of differing gram-negative bacteria.  Most of the bacteria found have been determined as not harmful.  Organically grown produce had a more diverse group of microbial communities than conventionally grown food.  Researchers are still unsure if this diversity of microbes on organically grown produce.  Micro biomes on our produce are extremely important to understand especially with the interaction of bacteria in our human gut.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/27/175478950/mapping-the-microbes-that-flourish-on-fruits-and-veggies

“Study Shows Bacteria Moves From Animals to Humans” by Sabrina Tavernise in the NY Times discusses a certain strain of antibiotic resistant bacteria that has transmitted from farm animals to humans.  This issue has been put off by the food industry for a long time.  Researchers in Denmark and Britain have confirmed that giving antibiotics to livestock endanger humans.  This experiment was done in great detail and confirms that this can severely affect humans.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/us/study-shows-bacteria-moves-from-animals-to-humans.html?_r=0

“Yellowstone Microbe Cleans Up Wastewater” by Kate Ruder from Genome News Network is about a bacteria called Thermus brockianus that was found in Yellowstone Park.  This extremophile aids in the cleanup of wastewater, providing manufacturing companies a way to clean water before they release it back into rivers and streams.  The microbe has a protein that can be extracted by scientists and added directly to contaminated water.  The protein itself breaks down hydrogen peroxide, which is often used in bleaches of clothes and paper.  This protein works 80,000 times longer than the protein used currently to clean hydrogen peroxide.

This is an incredible development because it shows that these types of microorganisms have a function such as a red blood cell or a nerve. Just because they live at the bottom of a spring at Yellowstone Park in an extreme environment, doesn’t mean that do not have functions.

http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/2004/10/28/yellowstone.php

“First Documented Case of Child Cured of HIV” was published on Science Daily on March 3, 2013.  A two-year-old child from Mississippi was diagnosed with HIV at birth and was immediately put on antiretroviral therapy.  At 18 months, he stopped therapy and when he was brought back at 23 months, he was found to be HIV free.  Dr. Persaud followed the case of the two year old from the start and confirmed that through comprehensive tests the mother and child were HIV positive when the child was born and there are no signs of the child being HIV positive today.  The only other HIV curing case was made in 2006 when a man from Berlin, who had HIV, was treated for leukemia through stem cell transplant therapy and the HIV was gone.  This brings up new questions such as do different populations have different types of HIV and have to be treated differently? Also, are children and adults treatment of HIV different?  These questions are hoped to be answered in the future says Dr. Persaud.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130303172640.htm

"Genetically Engineered Thermophilic Bacterium: Researchers Advance Cellulosic Ethanol Production" published by Science Dailly in 2008 explains of a genetically engineered bacteria that may help lead to alternative petroleum-derived transportation, ethanol, a bi product of fermentation.  The article states that these thermophillic bacteria do not have to use cellulose enzymes, which are costly, to produce ethanol.  Cellulosic ethanol, which is what the thermophillic bacteria are producing, is trying to outweigh the use of ethanol produced from corn.  Cellulosic ethanol is more ideal because it does not use food crops to produce it, it can be made on a large scale and is cost-competitive.

Bacteria found in the Aquificae phyla include thermophillic bacteria such as the one being genetically engineered to produce ethanol.  These bacteria may be found in the most extremely environments on the planet, however, they can be extremely useful in our everyday lives.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908185132.htm

“Chilean extremophile bacteria thrive in Mars-like conditions” written by Matt Ford in 2009 explains a new organism that was found in the Atacama desert.  The Atacama desert, which lies on the western edge of South America, is the closest place on Earth to Mars.  A volcano, Socompa, lies on the Eastern edge of the Atacama desert, where conditions that may be similar on Mars, such as a thin atmosphere, dry climate, and high UV radiation, exist.  This is where a new extremophile bacterial community was found.  The bacteria thrive off gases from deep inside the Earth that are being perpetuated through the volcanoes.  Scientists conclude that if they are able to study these types of extremophile bacteria, they can assume a better understanding on bacteria that may live outside of Earth.

The Aquificae phyla have bacteria that are considered to be the most extreme.  Bacteria in the Aquificae phyla have bacteria that live in hot, sulfur springs, volcanoes, and thermal vents.  It is important to study these bacteria, such as he extremophiles found living near the Socompa volcano, because it can help us better understand bacteria that have existed on Earth for millions of years.  Although it is hard to understand bacteria such as ones found from the Aquificae phyla, they can offer useful information in the future of bacteria.

http://arstechnica.com/science/2009/03/extreme-loving-microbes-found-high-above-the-atacama-desert/