bacteria

Make Your Compost Go Further – Compost Extraction (Video)

January 18, 2011

Image credit: The Naked Garden

Whether I am talking about making compost as a form of animal husbandry, or musing on the analogy of compost as a yogurt for the soil, I am known for being more than a little bit geeky about the life in my rotted biomas…

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Compost is Like Yogurt for the Soil – Probiotics in the Garden

January 11, 2011

Image credit: Lindsay Dee Bunny, used under Creative Commons license.

I’ve been reading a lot about compost recently and one thing keeps bothering me. Almost every article refers to this magical substance as a “natural fertilizer”, and on one level i…

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You Are 10% Human. 90% Bacteria. (Video)

December 3, 2010

Image credit: TED/Bonnie Bassler

Earlier this week, I wrote a post wondering whether we should think of composting as animal husbandry—given the vast array of living organisms that exist in a compost heap. Now I am wondering whether the same te…

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Rebranding Poop as a Resource – The Poop Project

November 29, 2010

Image credit: The Poop Project

Whether looking at the selective flush and letting it mellow or recycling our poop for sustainable farming, it’s no secret that I believe rethinking the way we handle our bodily waste—both human and animal—i…

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Ecomachines Use Plants and Animals for Low Impact Water Treatment (Video)

November 25, 2010

Image credit: John Todd Ecological

Dr John Todd’s work creating living machines, or ecomachines, as a form of natural water treatment has long been of interest to TreeHugger. Back in 2005 Collin interviewed Dr Todd about his views on ecological desig…

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7 Deadliest Bacteria on Earth

November 14, 2010

Amazing photos of some of the bacteria that kill us

Why Your Toothbrush is a Breeding Ground for Deadly Bacteria

June 11, 2010

Toothbrushes stored in the bathroom have millions of germs climbing all over them on a daily basis. Resting on countertops near toilet bowls, toothbrushes run a high ris

Outdoor Bacteria Can Make You Smarter, and Happier

May 28, 2010

photo kid dirt camping scientist

Getting some outdoor time is not only good for the soul, it’s probably good for the mind. Research from The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York, suggests that exposure to a natural soil bacterium called Mycobacterium vaccae can increase learning behavior. Another reason to enjoy, and protect, the great outdoors. And a potential reason to eat a little dirt here and there….Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Scientists Creating ‘Extremophile’ Super Bug to Make Fuel

May 18, 2010

Credit: AJC1 via Flickr.

What’s more extreme than an extremophile? How about a new and improved version of the bug, a bacteria that thrives in extreme environments like the hot springs of Vulcano Island, Italy? Researchers at North Carolina State and the University of Georgia are working to create their own version of the extremophile, mixing in features of three to five other bugs, in an attempt to make a critter that creates fuels like butanol or ethanol. …Read the full story on TreeHugger