To kill the competition, bacteria throw bits of dead viruses at them

Enlarge / This is an intact phage. A tailocin looks like one with the head cut off. Long before people became interested in killing bacteria, viruses were already at work. Viruses that attack bacteria, called “phages” (short for bacteriophage), were first identified by their ability to create bare spots on the surface of culture plates … Read more

The tech figured out bits of the box he was repairing, but it still failed

Who me? Greetings and greetings, dear readers, and welcome to the sunny spot on the interwebs that we like to call Who, Me? in which Reg readers share their stories of failed engineering tasks. Apologies if that cheerful, upbeat attitude is off-putting to you. Your correspondent is experimenting with being a ‘Monday person’ and it … Read more