Ripped from the Journals: The Biggest Discoveries of the Week

, September 15 The week began with a bit of science news that caught the attention of just about everyone who has ever taken a shower. Microbiologists examined shower heads in nine U.S. cities and found that the innocuous-seeming pieces of hardware often harbor hordes of bacteria that spray out of the nozzle when the shower is turned on. Although the study's findings sound alarming, researchers were quick to point out that microbes are omnipresent in our daily environment and that a healthy person's immune system can easily handle this bacterial bath. They suggest that only people with immune disorders need be concerned. PLoS ONE, September 16 In a new report in this open access journal, researchers describe a cell phone app designed to help both professional scientists and citizen scientists. The program allows people to collect data on a subject like the changing habitat of a rare species by recording notes, photos, or videos on their smart phones; the program would then use the phones' GPS system to determine the user's location and to plot the data on a map. It's a nifty research method that is bound to become more prevalent as smart phones find their way into more people's hands.