Word: bacterias
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THMs--high levels of which are a fairly common problem in the U.S.--form when chlorine added to water to kill dangerous bacteria reacts with organic material, such as leaves and grass. Some experts say it is more dangerous to drink bacteria-laden water, than water that contains THMs...
...thousands of Adelie penguins, which hatch their eggs in the world's southernmost rookery. Skuas -- seagull-like scavenger birds -- scout the breathing holes and the margins between sea ice and land, seeking seal carcasses and unguarded baby penguins to feast on. The ice itself is permeated with algae and bacteria...
Patients received injections of interferon, a natural infection-fighting protein that can be artificially produced by genetically altered bacteria. One drawback: most of the patients who improved suffered a relapse when the injections ended. Doctors think the problem may be resolved by giving interferon for longer periods or in higher doses. Says Dr. Saul Krugman of New York University medical school: "There's no question that it is very promising...
Lindow's bugs were to be the first genetically altered bacteria released into the environment. Although there was strong evidence that the microbes were benign, biologists at Berkeley and the NIH had failed to consider fully the experiment's environmental impact. The oversight allowed Rifkin to sue to block the experiment. The courts agreed, and, thanks to Rifkin, testing was postponed for three years while the NIH, the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency struggled to draw up rules under which genetically engineered products would move from the lab to the field...
Outside the courtroom, Rifkin warned that the widespread use of ice-minus would lead to all sorts of natural disasters, including the disruption of rainfall patterns. (Lindow and his backers say this is hogwash. They note that the ice-fighting bacteria, developed into a commercial product called Frostban, was sprayed on a test field in 1987. As they predicted, it proved harmless.) Typically, Rifkin would plunge into a scientific setting, armed with papers from dissident researchers, and warn about the potentially catastrophic consequences of inadequately regulated research. Says geneticist Zinder: "The accusations are made simply, with simple words...