To a bacteria researcher like John Wertz, germ is a four-letter word. “I cannot stand the word germ,” said the Calvin biology professor, “because it suggests that all bacteria and viruses are bad.” In ...

Until the discovery of antibiotic medicine last century, doctors frequently performed amputations to save the life of a patient with an infected wound. But humans aren’t the only animal to perform ...

Scientists have discovered that Florida carpenter ants perform life-saving amputations on injured nestmates, a level of medical intervention previously only observed in humans. The ants assess wound ...

Patients in hospitals generally trust the nursing staff. After all, they have undergone training and, in some cases, have several years of professional experience. In the case of carpenter ants, it is ...