Word: bacterias
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Listen: There is no evidence of life on Mars. Meteorite AH 84001, that chunk of Martian rock which was found in the Antarctic two years ago bearing what appeared to be traces of tiny bacteria, got a thorough debunking Friday. No less than three papers in the Journal of Meteoritics and Planetary Science attack the rock's so-called organic evidence. Little crevices in its side that were supposed to contain bacterial traces have been the subject of intense scrutiny and heated debate for some time, but the jury has now effectively returned a verdict: Not Possible...
...similar good fortune in the future is not the best way to fight the microbe. Until a drug treatment is available, the best answer is prevention, and several groups are taking action. Alfalfa seeds, which have been implicated in past E. coli outbreaks, are now being irradiated to kill bacteria, and last year the Food and Drug Administration gave the cattle industry the green light to treat meat the same way. The procedure is generally effective, but critics are uneasy, questioning whether it's ever a good idea to irradiate something consumers are intended to ingest...
...look after themselves. All fresh vegetables--including packaged, so-called triple-washed vegetables--should be thoroughly cleaned. Steaks can be safely eaten relatively rare, since E. coli is typically found only on the surface of food, and cooking will generally kill it. Hamburger is another matter. Grinding beef distributes bacteria throughout the patty, so the only safe burger is a well-done burger...
...Washington-based science and medicine correspondent, heard about a dangerous E. coli outbreak in a small town in Wyoming and immediately did what federal health sleuths do: headed for the problem's source. His on-the-scene reporting provided a vivid account of the ongoing war against lethal bacteria. Says writer Jeffrey Kluger, who worked from Thompson's dispatches: "I didn't get the sense of experiencing this story secondhand. It was really like being there." Thompson was impressed by the combination of methodology and intuition of state and federal epidemiologists: "They spent hours on the phone tracking down anyone...
Lyme disease can be treated, but the common tick-borne illness has never quite been preventable. Two new vaccines using genetically engineered bacteria have been proved effective in protecting adults against Lyme disease. Both await FDA approval, and at least one is expected to be available for next summer's Lyme-disease season. Vaccine tests for children are still in the works...