Healthy land
Land has a wide variety of uses: agricultural, residential, industrial, and recreational. Microbes play a key role in the terrestrial ecosystem, providing symbiotic relationships with plants. Human use of land has led to the exhaustion of nutrients in soils, contamination of land, and a reduction in biodiversity. Applying our knowledge of microbes will be essential in restoring the biodiversity of affected ecosystems. Greater research into how microbes impact human life on land could all have a positive impact, by increasing crop production, repurposing areas of land and improving microbial biodiversity in soil, land, and water.
News
Wildlife trade increases pathogen transmission
A study combining forty years of legal and illegal wildlife import-export data with compilations of host–pathogen relationships found that wild mammals that are traded are 1.5 times more likely to share infectious agents with humans than those that are not involved in trade.
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NewsFrom Asgard to Earth: tiny discoveries hold clues to life’s greatest leap
Stromatolites may hold insights into how complex life began. Researchers have identified a previously unknown microbe living in close partnership with another organism inside these ‘living fossils’.
NewsNative bacteria may break down dioxins without genetic modification
Researchers have demonstrated that native soil bacteria, when treated with decoy molecules, can degrade non-native compounds, including persistent pollutants such as dioxins, without genetic modification.
NewsNon-producing oil and gas wells emit microbial methane at rates 1,000 times higher than previously estimated
Microbial methane leaking from non-producing oil and gas wells is being emitted at rates about 1,000 times higher than previously estimated, according to a new study.
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News
Could your housemates be changing your gut bacteria?
Living with friends may quietly be altering your gut bacteria - according to a new study. Research on a colony of tiny island birds reveals they share more of their gut bacteria with the birds they spend the most time with.
NewsTropical trees are more neighborly, study suggests
Tropical trees are better neighbors than trees in temperate forests, according to a new study. Trees growing closer to the equator have more positive interactions with their neighbors, which may help explain why tropical forests are home to so many tree species.
NewsAtomic-level structure of a giant virus revealed
Researchers have successfully determined, for the first time, the capsid structure of Melbournevirus—a member of the giant virus family—at a resolution of 4.4 Å using cryo-electron microscopy.
NewsAfrican swine fever: a novel model for assessing transmission between domestic pigs and wild boar
Researchers have developed an innovative multi-host epidemiological model for African swine fever incorporating both pig farms and wild boar habitats and calibrated using empirical outbreak data. The model uses detailed data from the first phase of the Romanian epidemic.
NewsRapid and visual on-site detection system for Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus
Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), a vector-borne disease affecting both wild and domestic ruminants, is transmitted by biting midges of the genus Culicoides. Researchers developed a rapid and visual test strip for EHDV RNA detection based on RT-ERA and CRISPR-Cas12a.
NewsBird flu spread could be impacted by where waterfowl like to live
The movement patterns of waterfowl, including ducks, swans and geese, may affect the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza in bird populations. Researchers found that birds travel much shorter distances in areas with human activity.
NewsEngineered bacteria unlock seaweed potential: dual enzyme system enables complete alginate depolymerization
A research team has heterologously expressed alyB and alyD genes from the marine bacterium Vibrio algivorus in C. glutamicum, an industrial workhorse traditionally used for amino acid production.
NewsUnlocking how dogs’ fungal ear infections evade treatment points vets to drug stewardship
Mutations in a key protein make a yeast found in dogs with common outer ear infections more resistant to the topical antifungals used to treat it, veterinarians and pathobiologists found in a new study.
NewsDrones, DNA, and weather: A phase-oriented hybrid engine to predict sugar beet disease
A fungus that can wipe out up to 50% of a sugar beet crop may soon meet its match in a new generation of smart disease forecasting. Combining drone imagery, weather data, and qPCR-based airborne spore monitoring can reveal where disease is present and what the pathogen is likely to do next.
NewsNew biochar composite tackles arsenic pollution and methane emissions in rice paddies
Rice paddies feed more than half of the world’s population, yet they are also hotspots for toxic arsenic contamination and greenhouse gas emissions. A promising solution that addresses both problems at once uses an engineered biochar material enhanced with titanium dioxide.
NewsCorner-loving single-celled microorganism uses geometry to sense its world
A surprising observation in the lab has revealed a remarkable ability in Stentor coeruleus, a single-celled organism about one millimeter long. Sometimes nicknamed the “platypus” of microorganisms for its trumpet-like shape, this tiny creature appears to have a distinct preference for corners.
NewsBacteria incorporate forever chemicals into cell membrane molecules
New research shows that bacteria incorporate polyfluoroalkyl carboxylates—a type of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)—into the molecules that make up their cell membranes.
NewsMicroscopic coils and coffee trees lead to an amazing new fungal discovery
A new study has revealed two novel species of Neohelicomyces fungi: Neohelicomyces coffeae and Neohelicomyces puerensis. While studying the fungi that live on Coffea arabica, researchers spotted these unique organisms growing on dead coffee branches.
NewsFungi hold the key to boosting urban soil health with biochar and compost
A new study reveals that combining biochar and compost can restore soil health in urban green spaces, but only under the right conditions, and fungi play a decisive role in determining success.
NewsA world within the leaves: Sign up for our fascinating free webinar
A single tree can harbour hundreds of species - yet few people will realise that some of those species live within the very leaves themselves. A fascinating free webinar will explore the fascinating world of fungal communities that live inside leaves.
NewsNew strategy to break resistance-yield trade-off in rice by pathogen-inducible gene expression
A research team has developed a genetic strategy to enhance broad-spectrum disease resistance in rice without compromising plant growth and yield, a major challenge in crop breeding.
NewsNitrogen addition reshapes forest microbes: A five-year insight into community dynamics
A new study reveals how long-term nitrogen enrichment influences soil bacterial communities and network stability, with surprising insights into ecological processes and dissolved organic matter’s critical role.
NewsBiochar triggers long-term soil recovery by reshaping microbes and metabolism
A five-year field study reveals that biochar can do far more than improve soil chemistry. It can reorganize entire soil ecosystems, creating lasting benefits for agriculture and environmental sustainability.
NewsScientists reveal the potential of a tiny soil bacterium to beat the Haber-Bosch process
A new review finds that biological ammonia production offers strong potential as a cleaner, greener alternative to the costly Haber-Bosch process. Microbes such as Azotobacter can produce ammonia under ambient conditions and atmospheric pressure.