This is a very old (relatively) research sample of lanthanum hexaboride. If that chemical name means anything to you, then you likely belong to the 0.01% of the living human population that has been privileged enough to have experience in the realm of electron microscopy, or possibly some other advanced technology involvingthe precise blasting of electrons.
Well-scrubbed hands. University of Buffalo researchers in New York published a study December 27 in the journal Infection and Immunity that found that Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes can live on surfaces such as toys, books and cribs for weeks or even months.
Most flu viruses can live one to two days on nonporous surfaces, and 8 to 12 hours on porous surfaces. But a 2006 study found that avian influenza seemed particularly hardy, surviving as long as six days on some surfaces. Continue reading the main story.HE BOTTOM LINE Flu viruses tend to survive longer than cold viruses. Credit Christoph Neimann. scitimes@nytimes.com. A version of this article appears in print on December 15, 2009, on page D5 of the National edition with the headline: Flu viruses live longer on surfaces than cold viruses.