Submitted via IRC for Bytram
Letting the sunshine in may kill dust-dwelling bacteria
Researchers at the University of Oregon found that in dark rooms 12% of bacteria on average were alive and able to reproduce (viable). In comparison only 6.8% of bacteria exposed to daylight and 6.1% of bacteria exposed to UV light were viable.
[...] Dust kept in the dark contained organisms closely related to species associated with respiratory diseases, which were largely absent in dust exposed to daylight.
The authors found that a smaller proportion of human skin-derived bacteria and a larger proportion of outdoor air-derived bacteria lived in dust exposed to light that in than in dust not exposed to light. This may suggest that daylight causes the microbiome of indoor dust to more strongly resemble bacterial communities found outdoors.
[...] The authors caution that the miniature room environments used in the study were exposed to only a relatively narrow range of light dosages. Although the researchers selected light dosages similar to those found in most buildings, there are many architectural and geographical features that produce lower or higher dosages of light that may need additional study.
Daylight exposure modulates bacterial communities associated with household dust. Microbiome, 2018; 6 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s40168-018-0559-4
(Score: 2) by black6host on Thursday October 18 2018, @10:30PM (1 child)
Some of those bacteria must be vampire bacteria. Explains why they die in the sunlight. Hold some up to a mirror to double check :)
(Score: 2) by BsAtHome on Thursday October 18 2018, @11:02PM
But vampires vanish into thin air when exposed to sunlight. The dust bacteria, dead or alive, are still filling the dust in all the corners (and all the other places). Can't those bacteria behave and be of the self clean strain?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 18 2018, @10:32PM (2 children)
The researchers played with Barbie houses and published a paper about it? Fucking millennial scientists.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 18 2018, @10:47PM
Use the term "researchers", they arent scientists.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 19 2018, @02:55AM
Someone is sad they didn't get their participation award. Yeah we know you were there, still not a good reason to throw your buddies under the bus.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Thursday October 18 2018, @11:03PM
Time to install some periscopes to reflect real sunlight into your mother's basement!
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 18 2018, @11:38PM (1 child)
In plain language, jewish dwellings are filthy and neglected. They live for generations in the same dirty and bug-ridden dwellings.
Letting the sunshine in will kill bacteria and expose other vermin, including jews. This is why jews shy away from light and prefer dark (both the physical and the metaphoric kind). From the dark they manipulate events, taking themselves and their friends deeper into the pits of hell. It is unfortunate that most of us have to suffer the presence of jews. Nobody likes jews, just like nobody likes dark dwellings full of bacteria.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday October 19 2018, @11:07AM
I'd think this would be a lot more relevant to folks living in Mom's basement.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 4, Touché) by Freeman on Thursday October 18 2018, @11:51PM (11 children)
Hasn't it been understood for quite a while that UV Light kills bacteria / germs? The Sun is the Main Source of UV light on Earth. Which makes this more of an expected outcome as opposed to anything novel.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 18 2018, @11:59PM
Give them credit for being able to publish an article that had nothing to do with global warming.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by legont on Friday October 19 2018, @12:04AM (4 children)
I was taught that sun in the room helps to prevent respiratory illnesses back in kindergarten in 60s. However, UV light does not penetrate glass windows - longer wavelengths work as well.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bart9h on Friday October 19 2018, @01:04AM (1 child)
Only if the glass is treated with an UV filter coating.
(actually, it may be a bit more [thoughtco.com] complicated)
(Score: 2) by legont on Friday October 19 2018, @04:13AM
Yeah, I guess the confusion comes from the fact that historically humans used lead glass that offers close to 100% protection, while modern glass, like most of modern materials, is shit.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Freeman on Friday October 19 2018, @03:40PM (1 child)
"Question 1: What percentage of UV light is blocked out by glass?
(This is one of many questions posted on an interesting Web Site that should be great for elementary and secondary school students, not to mention adults as well!)
Normal glass (as used in windows) is transparent to UV radiation to a wavelength of about 330 nm (UV-A). The transparency is quite high so almost all UV-A light will pass through glass. Below 330 nm (UV-B and UV-C), almost 100% is block by normal glass."
I thought you were 100% wrong, but apparently only 33% wrong. Museums use special glass to block UV light.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Touché) by legont on Friday October 19 2018, @06:59PM
I am 67% correct, buddy. The only thing is, this "special" glass of yours would be better called "classical" glass or better yet good glass as opposed to bad glass for general population. I would be 100% correct if not for business silently sneaking bad products.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Friday October 19 2018, @01:49AM (1 child)
So now we need very bright UV lights (preferably with sensors, somthey only turn on when no one is in the room..)
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 19 2018, @10:46AM
This is what they do in hospitals. Works very well too.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 19 2018, @02:57AM (1 child)
While this is true it isn't 100%. No one is overly surprised here, but like with a lot of science it is nice to have the proof so we KNOW instead of SUSPECT.
But hey, you're a Free Man so your opinion is, like, totally valid and worthwhile.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Friday October 19 2018, @03:44PM
I Suspect, this is just duplicating what we already Know.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday October 19 2018, @11:08AM
S'what I thought. I've known this since I was a kid.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Informative) by opinionated_science on Friday October 19 2018, @07:02AM
Biochem 101 - UV light breaks DNA bonds [uwyo.edu] , hence bacteria cannot survive a certain threshold as it scrambles the metabolic environment. As with most life, there's always exceptions [wikipedia.org]
Of course, we (Humans) also have DNA that gets bonds broken, only the sheer mass of our cells gives us occasional cancer instead....
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 19 2018, @01:52PM
It could also be that light produces nearly double the amount of dead bacteria!
Yup, light hits a dead bacteria and causes it to replicate, thus diluting the percent of living bacteria!