From ambassadorship to action: Leading a national scientific writing and publishing workshop in the UK
Medical Microbiologist and Antimicrobial Resistance Researcher Dr. Oluwole Owoyemi, ASM Young Ambassador to the UK, reveals why he designed a scientific writing and publishing workshop for early career scientists - and how it went.
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From roots to riches: mycorrhizal fungi and the future of farming
Feeding a growing population while rebuilding depleted soils is one of agriculture’s biggest challenges. When fungal networks are thriving, they can improve nutrient uptake, support stronger root systems, and reduce the need for fuels to stretch as far, with their input. It’s a small-scale partnership with big implications for the future of farming…
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Gut microbiome and obesity: what we know - and what we don’t
Dysbiosis is defined as an imbalance in the composition and function of the gut microbiota. This imbalance can lead to dysregulated interactions within the bacterial community and between microbes and the host, and it can be associated with disease states. However, discussions of dysbiosis often rely on simplified dichotomies, such ...
From Petri dishes to chips: what can microbiology learn from microfluidics?
Microfluidics is a fast-growing field focused on manipulating tiny volumes of fluid, often within channels no wider than a human hair. Despite its potential, around 90% of microbial experiments are still carried out under static conditions. So, what are we missing by ignoring flow? And how can microfluidics help close the gap?
Unlocking the secrets of phages: DNA modification discoveries offer new weapons against antimicrobial resistance
Bacteria and their viral predator bacteriophages (phages) have coevolved for billions of years and are engaged in an endless arms race against each other. DNA modifications are among the most widespread defenses to block bacterial RM and CRISPR-Cas systems.
Under the Lens video series
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 2
In our second episode, Dr Callum Cooper joins Professor Emmanuel Adukwu to talk about all things bacteriophage, from alternatives to antibiotics, social impact, and regulation.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 1
In our first episode, Professor Raquel Peixoto joins Professor Jack Gilbert for a deep dive into coral reefs, microbes, and the future of our planet.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 2
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 1
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Listeria: the inconvenient truth that shaped our industry
Director General of the Chilled Food Association, Karin Goodburn MBE, who sits on AMI’s Food Security Advisory Group, reveals why the publication of new Listeria guidance for the UK food industry is regarded as a landmark moment.
We couldn’t get people interested in science - until we started speaking their language
In 2020, Puerto Rico faced a misinformation crisis. Melanie Ortiz Alvarez De La Campa reveals how five STEM undergraduates created a sci-comm organization that helped pass legislation, educated thousands, and created an inclusive database of Caribbean scientists.
The politics behind the global divide in bacteriophage therapy
The therapeutic potential of bacteriophages (or ‘phages’) has been widely dismissed for decades in the West, despite being regularly used to treat patients worldwide in the early and mid-20th century. In an age rife with disinformation, can the true potential of clinical phage technology be communicated to a public already uneasy about scientific intervention?
The National Collection of Pathogenic Viruses (NCPV): a critical resource for virology and public health
It’s now 25 years since the National Collection of Pathogenic Viruses (NCPV) was founded as a dedicated, secure, and relevant national virus repository for the UK. Jane Burton, Teresa Ramalho and Tilly Maybery explore how the collection has evolved - and is tackling future global health concerns.
A day in the life of a soil microbial ecologist
Dr. Taniya RoyChowdhury, a soil microbial ecologist and biogeochemist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, describes a typical day.
Scientific Event Travel Grant: how the Safepork conference surpassed my expectations
Shan Goh from the University of Hertfordshire reports back on the International Symposium on the Epidemiology and Control of Biological, Chemical and Physical Hazards in Pigs and Pork held in Rennes, France, in October. Shan was supported with a Scientific Event Travel Grant awarded by AMI.
How food shortages reprogram the immune system’s response to infection
When food is scarce, stress hormones direct the immune system to operate in “low power” mode to preserve immune function while conserving energy. This reconfiguration is crucial to combating infections amid food insecurity.
Bacterial hitchhikers can give their hosts super strength
Molecular hitchhikers living within bacteria can make their hosts extra resistant to medical treatment by corralling them into tightly packed groups. The study introduces a previously unknown avenue through which bacterial infections can become more difficult to treat.
Shorter treatment regimens are safe options for preventing active tuberculosis
A study comparing one- and three-month antibiotic treatments to prevent active tuberculosis (TB) finds that a high percentage of patients successfully completed both regimens and suffered few adverse side effects.
Food security
Rapid response launched to tackle new yellow rust strains threatening UK wheat
The UK’s wheat is under threat from a newly identified strain of the yellow rust pathogen, prompting an urgent mobilisation of research institutes to protect harvests. The new strain has overcome a key resistance gene that was protecting many major UK wheat varieties from yellow rust infection.
Clean Water
Team finds E. coli, other pathogens in Potomac River after sewage spill
Following one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history, researchers detected high levels of fecal-related bacteria and disease-causing pathogens in the Potomac River, raising urgent public health concerns and underscoring the risks posed by aging sewer infrastructure.
Researchers rebuild microscopic circadian clock that can control genes
Researchers have solved how the circadian clocks within microscopic bacteria are able to precisely control when different genes are turned on and off during the 24-hour cycle.
