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NOVA scienceNOW1 Moderator
Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Posts: 64
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Post subject: Profile: Bonnie Bassler Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 10:59 am |
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| Your body contains 10 times more bacterial cells than “human” cells. This is not all bad news: most of these bacteria benefit us, from digesting food to fending off “bad” bacteria. Interestingly, bacteria—both good and bad—take advantage of their numbers, says Princeton microbiologist Bonnie Bassler, by “talking” before taking action as a group. The pathogens we fear actually “conspire” before making us sick, releasing their toxins only when they sense that they’re working in unison. Bassler and her team are trying to disrupt such bacterial communication, a strategy that doctors could someday use to combat bacterial diseases. Do you think this is worthwhile research? Do you envision any drawbacks? |
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