Systems biology could help us harness useful microbes

Microbes Which Help or Destroy Us

to detect the earliest disease in the maximum number of patients at least cost to the community. In conclusion, there is offered an ideal community program of eradication of tuberculosis-a disease which still claims 60,000 deaths annually in the United States. This small volume is very readable, authoritative, and well documented. It offers much of interest-and a challenge-to all charged with t...

Could technology help us tackle the obesity crisis?

Technological changes in the last century have brought about profound change in the types and amounts of foods that people consume and the amount of physical activity in which they engage. One result has been a dramatic (and continuing) increase in bodyweight; at present, 2.1 billion people are overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m) worldwide, and 700 million are clinically obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m). Overweight ...

Systems biology of stem cells: three useful perspectives to help overcome the paradigm of linear pathways.

Stem cell behaviours, such as stabilization of the undecided state of pluripotency or multipotency, the priming towards a prospective fate, binary fate decisions and irreversible commitment, must all somehow emerge from a genome-wide gene-regulatory network. Its unfathomable complexity defies the standard mode of explanation that is deeply rooted in molecular biology thinking: the reduction of ...

Trees harness the power of microbes to survive climate change.

Microorganisms are the most abundant and diverse taxa on Earth. They have the ability to tolerate extreme environments, catalyze a range of metabolic functions, and rapidly evolve in response to changing environmental conditions. Imagine if plants and animals could harness these powers. In fact, microorganisms confer numerous benefits to plants and animals. For example, microorganisms in the ma...

Could interferon help treat Ebola?