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Applied Microbiology International launches new report on improving soil health in the UK

2026-02-26T00:01:00+00:00

Scientists have warned that the world’s tiniest organisms need to be taken into account in efforts to improve soil health. AMI has launched a new policy report setting out key recommendations to support the long-term protection, restoration and sustainable management of soils across the UK’s four nations.

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  • Clostridium_difficile_

    Gut health home-testing kit outcomes vary between kits and manufacturers

    Results and health assessments from gut microbiome home-testing kits vary whether they are produced by the same or different manufacturers. The findings on testing kits from seven providers highlight the need for caution when interpreting or acting on test results, according to the authors.

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    People’s gut bacteria worse in areas with higher social deprivation

    Living in a poorer neighbourhood in the UK could impact the make-up of your gut microbiome, potentially leading to worse health. New research found that people living in areas of higher social deprivation have a less diverse range of bacteria in their gut. 

  • Plasmodium_falciparum_gametocyte

    Scientists identify key protein that stops malaria parasite growth

    An international team of scientists have identified a unique protein essential for the malaria parasite’s survival and transmission. Aurora-related kinase 1 (ARK1) acts as a ‘traffic controller’ during the parasite’s unusual cell division and growth process.

Food security

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The new ‘forever’ contaminant? Study raises alarm on marine fiberglass pollution

Researchers investigating fibreglass contamination of an estuary looked at the biofilm and the deeper sediment layer where sediment‑dwelling invertebrates live and feed.  They found fibreglass particles at several of the surface biofilm testing sites and 96 per cent of the sediment testing sites.

Clean Water

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How bacteria can reclaim lost energy, nutrients, and clean water from wastewater

2026-02-24T16:13:00+00:00By

A new review explores how technologies using electricity-generating bacteria—like those already piloted at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival and in field trials in Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa—could help us reclaim resources currently being flushed away. 

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Will melting glaciers slow climate change? A prevailing theory is on shaky ground

2026-02-26T15:12:00+00:00By

In what researchers describe as the most accurate measurement of iron inputs from a glacier in Antarctica, marine scientists have discovered that meltwater from an Antarctic ice shelf supplies far less iron to surrounding waters than once thought.