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Germ theory states that specific microscopic organisms are the cause of specific diseases. The theory was developed, proved, and popularized in Europe and North America between about 1850 and 1920. Because its implications were so different from the centuries-old humoral theory, germ theory revolutionized the theory and practice of medicine and the understanding of disease. It was, however, compatible with existing ideas about health, especially those associated with 19th-century hygiene and sanitation.

For the first time in modern history, the world's population is expected to virtually stop growing by the end of this century, due in large part to falling global fertility rates, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of new data from the United Nations. By 2100, the world's population is projected to reach approximately 10.9 billion, with annual growth of less than 0.1% - a steep decline from the current rate. Between 1950 and today, the world's population grew between 1% and 2% each year, with the number of people rising from 2.5 billion to more than 7.7 billion.

A selection of articles to further your understanding of the production and function of blood within the human body; the views about blood that predominated for centuries and the medical practices that such views helped to engender; the advancements in the medical use and collection of blood brought on by war, most notably World War II; modern-day techniques for the collection, storage, and use of blood. Some articles are augmented by video clips from RED GOLD: THE EPIC STORY OF BLOOD. (The free RealPlayer plug-in is required to view the clips.)

Have you heard of Alexander von Humboldt? Not likely. The geologist turned South American explorer was a bit of an 18th century super scientist, traveling over 24,000 miles to understand the relationship between nature and habitat. George Mehler details Humboldt's major accomplishments and why we should care about them today.

This case study examines the molecular methods that were used to reverse engineer the 1918 influenza virus strain in order to try and solve the mystery of why it was so deadly. The story starts in the 1950s with the unsuccessful attempts to culture the influenza virus and follows scientists through to the turn of the century when cutting edge molecular tools enabled scientists to finally resurrect the 1918 virus through reverse genetics. The history and methods involved in resurrecting this deadly virus are reviewed in class with a PowerPoint presentation containing clicker questions (answered with a personal response system) and discussion questions (answered in small groups). This "clicker case" is suitable for high school biology and lower division undergraduate biology classes for non-majors. It could also be used in any lower division non-major class focused on human disease and the history of human disease.

A new map of the human brain could be the most accurate yet, as it combines all sorts of different kinds of data. This might finally solve a century of disagreements over the shapes and positions of different brain areas.

ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - If drug-resistant infections in people and animals are allowed to spread unchecked, some 28 million people will fall into poverty by 2050, and a century of progress in health will be reversed, the World Bank said on Monday. By 2050, annual global GDP would fall by at least 1.1 percent, although the loss could be as much as 3.8 percent - the equivalent of the 2008 financial crisis - the Bank said in a report released ahead of a high-level meeting on the issue at the United Nations in New York this week.

Horn removal through gene editing is a win-win both for the animal and for the farmer, says Muir, who did not take part in this research. "These findings show that you can take highly desirable genes from animals and move them to other members of their species," he told Popular Science. "One could achieve the same results with natural breeding, but gene editing greatly speeds up the process, reducing the time it takes to accomplish the goal from centuries to years."

Welcome to the Ecological Society of America's online education resource portal! ESA's EcoEd Digital Library (EcoEdDL) is a forum for scientists and educators to locate and contribute peer reviewed resources for 21st century undergraduate ecology education. EcoEdDL strives to foster a community of ecology education users and contributors. Need Help or More Info? Contact EcoEdDL@esa.org.

A century of medical advances in a minute of video. See our time-lines for more detail: http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/why/timeline/ and http://animalresearch.info/en/medical-advances/timeline/

3:49 video, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting over 40 million people worldwide. And though it was discovered over a century ago, scientists are still grappling for a cure. Ivan Seah Yu Jun describes how Alzheimer's affects the brain, shedding light on the different stages of this complicated, destructive disease.

Two thirds of the population believes a myth that has been propagated for over a century: that we use only 10% of our brains. Hardly! Our neuron-dense brains have evolved to use the least amount of energy while carrying the most information possible -- a feat that requires the entire brain.

BioLEAP is a comprehensive educational resource for students who do not wish to take part in classroom dissection exercises, and for teachers and school districts looking to introduce dissection alternatives into their curricula. These "alternatives" are really "advancements" in teaching tools that capitalize on 21st century technologies that can enhance a student's understanding of anatomy, physiology and the life sciences in general. The following links will provide you with cost-effective and humane alternatives to animal use in the classroom, as well as provide you with information about student choice laws and policies that protect students' rights to use dissection alternatives.

For centuries, women have studied and made groundbreaking discoveries in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. Encourage your girls and boys to appreciate the contributions of women scientists. With our seven ideas, learn about some outstanding women from the history of STEM innovation and inspire your kids' scientific explorations - indoors and outdoors.

The world is becoming more urban every day, and the process has been ongoing since the industrial revolution in the 18th century. The United Nations now estimates that 3.9 billion people live in urban centres. The rapid influx of residents is however not universal and the developed countries are already urban, but the big rise in urban population in the next 30 years is expected to be in Asia and Africa. Urbanization leads to many challenges for global health and the epidemiology of infectious diseases. New megacities can be incubators for new epidemics, and zoonotic diseases can spread in a more rapid manner and become worldwide threats. Adequate city planning and surveillance can be powerful tools to improve the global health and decrease the burden of communicable diseases.

But now, a century and a half later, scientists from 11 different institutions have joined forces to amass all of that information, plus new data, to create the most comprehensive version of the tree so far. As detailed in a recent article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the new Tree of Life shows how 2.3 million different types of animals, plants, fungi and microbes are interconnected, and how those relationships have diverged since life began on Earth more than 3.5 billion years ago.

Redwood trees, those ancient living monuments to California's past, are as mysterious to science as they are magnificent, so a team of researchers led by a San Francisco conservation group is attempting to unlock the genetic secrets of the towering conifers. Scientists affiliated with the nonprofit Save the Redwoods League are attempting for the first time to sequence the genomes of coast redwood trees and their higher-elevation cousins, the giant sequoias, a complex and expensive undertaking that experts hope will help preserve the trees' ancient groves as the climate changes over the next century.

But if Gánti's theories had been more widely known during the communist era, he might now be acclaimed as one of the most innovative biologists of the 20th century. That's because he devised a model of the simplest possible living organism, which he called the chemoton, that points to an exciting explanation for how life on Earth began.

The relative importance of nature and nurture has been debated for centuries, and has had strong - and sometimes misguided - influences on public policy.

Guideline for planning projects, illustrated with an ecology example.