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
Making yeast more efficient ‘cell factories’ for producing valuable plant compounds
Researchers have discovered a new way to make yeast cells more efficient “factories” for producing valuable plant compounds. By studying a plant membrane protein called AtMSBP1, they uncovered a mechanism that helps yeast cells better support plant cytochrome P450 enzymes.
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NewsAn edible fungus could make paper and fabric liquid-proof
Researchers report a way to waterproof materials using edible fungus. In a proof-of-concept study, the fungus grew an impervious film on common materials such as paper, denim, polyester felt and thin wood, revealing its potential to replace plastic coatings with sustainable materials.
NewsSpectral signatures reveal hidden pine defenses: New tech enhances fusiform rust Resistance screening
A research team has developed a novel way to detect disease resistance in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, offering a faster and more objective alternative to traditional visual inspection.
NewsFeeding off spent battery waste, a novel bacterium signals a new method for self-sufficient battery recycling
A unique bacterium that thrives in highly acidic environments feeds on spent battery “waste”, making it a promising new method for self-sufficient battery recycling. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (Atf) has a natural metabolic cycle that produces protons capable of leaching electrode materials from spent batteries.
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News
Fungi paved the way for life on land hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought
After reviewing the evolutionary timeline of fungi, scientists have determined that their origin dates back to between 900 million and 1.4 billion years ago. This means that fungi had already been living on Earth hundreds of millions of years before plants took root on our planet.
NewsAfter injuries, carpenter ants use amputation to stop potential infections from spreading
Carpenter ants are not squeamish when it comes to caring for the wounded. To minimise the risk of infection, the insects immediately amputate injured legs – thereby more than doubling their survival rate.
NewsUnderwater thermal vents may have given rise to the first molecular precursors of life
A new study shows that, without the presence of enzymes, natural gradients of pH, redox potential, and temperature present in underwater hydrothermal vents could have promoted the reduction of carbon dioxide to formic acid and the subsequent formation of acetic acid.
NewsHow a pyrite-oxidizing microbe helps preserve atmospheric oxygen in sulfate
Research shows that O₂ in sulfate deposits, coupled with geochemical clues, could help identify microbial activity in Earth’s rock record and even in Martian sediments.
NewsBiochar and wetter soils offer breakthrough path to slash farm emissions without cutting crop yields
Raising groundwater levels and adding biochar to agricultural peat soils could dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining healthy crop production, according to a new study from Bangor University.
NewsDoes floral scent affect insect visitors and bacterial strains on flowers?
A new study reveals that high floral scent chemodiversity is associated with increased pollinator richness but reduced bacterial richness on flowers. The findings led the scientists to propose the ’Filthy Pollinator Hypothesis’.
NewsNew hope for cats with eye infections: Study finds common cold sore cream safe and effective for feline use
A common human cold sore cream may soon help cats with painful eye infections: researchers found that 1% penciclovir cream (Fenlips®), when applied to cats’ eyes, was safe, well-tolerated, and maintained antiviral levels for over eight hours.
NewsCrop-killing pathogen found to disable plant ‘alarm system’
An international team has discovered that the pathogen Phytophthora infestans - which caused the Irish potato famine - employs special enzymes, called AA7 oxidases, to disable the plants’ early warning system, weakening their defenses before they can respond.
NewsCofactor engineering with phosphite dehydrogenase enables flexible regulation of lactate-based copolymer biosynthesis in E. coli
A new breakthrough enables higher yields of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-lactate) [P(3HB-co-LA)] without disrupting bacterial growth, paving the way for more sustainable bioplastic manufacturing.
NewsNovel fungal phyla and classes revealed by eDNA long reads
Via a thorough analysis of the EUKARYOME long-read database, an international team has discovered that a large proportion of unknown eukaryotes uncovered with long-read sequencing belong to deep, hitherto undescribed fungal lineages.
NewsScientists turn algae and crop waste into valuable fuels and nanomaterials
Researchers have developed a clean and efficient process to transform microalgae and agricultural residues into a range of high-value products, including biofuels, bio-adsorbents, and fluorescent carbon nanodots.
NewsAre there living microbes on Mars? Check the ice, researchers say
By recreating Mars-like conditions in the lab, researchers demonstrated that fragments of the molecules that make up proteins in E. coli bacteria, if present in Mars’ permafrost and ice caps, could remain intact for over 50 million years.
NewsSulfated yeast could help recover rare earth metals from waste liquids
Electronics, optical fibers, and superconducting materials heavily rely on rare earth metals, but innovative recycling solutions are lacking. Now researchers in Japan have successfully achieved selective recovery of metals with S-yeast, a sulfated yeast.
NewsGlobal analysis reveals how biochar supercharges composting and cuts greenhouse gases
By analyzing data from 125 studies across the world, researchers showed that adding biochar to composting systems significantly boosts compost quality while slashing harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
News1000-litre ‘corn-to-carrier’ demo turns stover into 10.6 g L⁻¹ microbial lipids
Researchers have shown that last autumn’s corn stalks can be transformed into a palm-oil-like fat suitable for aviation biofuel or cosmetics without the energy-guzzling steps that have kept lignocellulosic biorefineries on the drawing board.
NewsStinkbug leg organ contains symbiotic fungi to shield eggs from parasitic wasps
What looked like a hearing organ on a tiny stinkbug’s leg turned out to be something far stranger: a fungal nursery that mother bugs use to coat their newly laid eggs in protective symbiotic hyphae, shielding their offspring from parasitic wasps.
NewsAnts alter their nest networks to prevent epidemics, study finds
Ants make a series of clever architectural adjustments to their nests to prevent the spread of disease, new research has found. Nests built by colonies exposed to disease had far more widely spread entrances and were more separated, with fewer direct connexions between chambers.
NewsAfrican wildlife poop sheds light on what shapes the gut ecosystem
A study of elephants, giraffes and other wildlife in Namibia’s Etosha National Park underscores the ways in which the environment, biological sex, and anatomical distinctions can drive variation in the gut microbiomes across plant-eating species.
NewsIn chromosome of key biotech bacterium, different setups bring different strengths
New research has found that the effectiveness of biotech bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens’ virulence varies, depending on how its chromosome is arranged.