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
Automation platform enables high-resolution spatial mapping of microbial communities
Researchers have developed a sequential error-robust FISH spatial mapping platform (SEER-Map) which enables fully automated, high-multiplexity spatial profiling of complex microbial communities at single-cell resolution.
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NewsDrip-irrigated halotolerant PGPB boost jujube yield and quality in saline soils by reshaping soil bacterial communities
A new study demonstrates that applying halotolerant plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) via drip irrigation during the crop growth period can effectively alleviate soil salinity stress, enhance jujube productivity and fruit quality, and restructure rhizosphere bacterial communities in saline agricultural soils.
NewsRare orchid Paphiopedilum purpuratum mediates adaptation via a dual-fungal strategy
Paphiopedilum purpuratum, an endangered orchid species with critical conservation value, faces severe challenges in ex situ adaptation despite successful reproductive output. A novel study reveals the integrated physiological and symbiotic adaptation mechanism underlying its ex situ conservation.
NewsCosmetics from waste? New microbial discovery could enable more sustainable production of high-value chemical products
Researchers have made a key discovery about how certain bacterial strains produce a set of economically valuable chemicals — opening the door to new, more sustainable production methods. A family of molecules could be made via bacterial fermentation instead of from palm oil, as they are today.
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News
How scientists are breeding spinach to better withstand Pythium
Breeding efforts to improve spinach tolerance to a pathogen called Pythium will help both indoor and outdoor growers of the popular leafy green.
NewsMetagenomic software advance boosts research into microbial diversity
Researchers studying the diversity of microbes in environmental samples now have access to a new tool that opens the door to cheaper, more accessible analysis of their samples.
NewsHot spring microbiomes could transform industrial CO2 waste into valuable products
Researchers found that microbiomes inhabiting terrestrial hot springs are naturally adapted to conditions that closely resemble industrial waste streams: high temperatures, elevated concentrations of CO2, and chemically challenging environments.
NewsIs asphalt bad for our health? And can algae help?
Scientists studying how asphalt emissions impact respiratory health are also working on less toxic, lower-emitting asphalt formulations. One project involves growing a strain of algae that could reduce VOC emissions using wastewater from a treatment plant.
NewsNew lactic acid bacteria for plant-based yogurt alternatives
Researchers find that a particular type of lactic acid bacteria has considerable potential for producing plant-based yoghurt alternatives. The bacteria inhibit potentially harmful bacteria and break down sugars that can cause stomach discomfort.
NewsConnected habitats help wildlife fight disease, strengthen protective microbes
Maintaining connections between natural habitats may support beneficial microbes that help wildlife defend against disease. A new study found that amphibians in connected natural forests and aquatic habitats were more likely to host beneficial skin microbes that inhibit a deadly fungal pathogen.
NewsWorld-first shoe made entirely from pure mycelium unveiled at Milan Design Week
A prototype shoe made entirely from pure mycelium, the root-like network of fungi, will debut at Milan Design Week. The project is a collaboration between researcher and designer Lars Dittrich of Vrije Universiteit Brussel and head shoemaker Marie De Ryck at La Monnaie/De Munt.
NewsSome resilient fungi might survive the long voyage to Mars
Researchers recently identified fungi in samples from spacecraft-associated environments, including cleanrooms. Conidia grown from those fungi survived after exposure to simulations of the harsh conditions of Mars and space travel.
NewsViruses enhance sulfamethoxazole removal in wetlands by modulating bacteria-phage interactions
A new study examines the role of viruses in sulfamethoxazole (SMX) removal in constructed wetlands. The research demonstrates that the addition of phage-concentrated solutions (PCS) enhances the degradation of SMX by enriching SMX-degrading bacteria.
NewsScientists probe how neurons sense bacteria in the gut
Neural interaction with bacteria, e.g. in the gut microbiome, has important effects on brains of animals from worms to people. A new study investigates how neurons sense bacteria by revealing, in nematodes, the bacterial signals that a key neuron detects.
NewsEngineered dual-bacterial sensors turn chemical signals into electricity
Most bacterial information transmission is done via electricity. While electricity-emitting bacteria exist, manipulating them into useful sensors has been quite challenging. Researchers recently developed a flexible bioelectrical sensor system called electroactive co-culture sensing system.
NewsHow tiny cave shrimps grazing on microbes power the underworld of the Yucatan
Because they convert microbial growth in sinkholes beneath the Yucatan Peninsula into animal biomass, Typhlatya shrimps act as “keystone species”, introducing essential nutrients into the cave’s food web. They serve as a crucial initial link that larger subterranean predators feed on.
News To thwart pathogens, researchers are giving beneficial microbes what they really want
Researchers have developed a new method that allows precise modification of any microbiome with prebiotics, helping beneficial organisms outcompete dangerous pathogens.
NewsGraphitized biochar rewires soil microbes to accelerate pollutant breakdown in rice paddies
A new study reveals that a specially engineered form of biochar can dramatically enhance the natural ability of soil microbes to break down pollutants in rice paddies, offering a promising strategy for cleaner and more sustainable agriculture.
NewsStudy finds warmer streams may weaken river food webs
Rising stream temperatures may be weakening the foundation of river food webs by altering how carbon moves through these watery ecosystems. When water temperatures increase, microbes and aquatic insects process fallen leaves, twigs and bark more rapidly, but a smaller fraction of that leaf litter supports their growth.
NewsViruses found in Antarctic air, including some new to science
It may seem stark and lifeless, but the air around the remote sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia contains viruses, including some that are new to science. Using metagenomics, researchers discovered that South Georgia harbours a diverse and dynamic airborne viral community.
NewsFoxes and birds could be ‘early warning system’ to survey spread of antibiotic resistance into ecosystems
Wildlife monitoring could alert us to the spread of highly antibiotic resistant bacteria into unexposed ecosystems, highlighting a potential public health strategy.
NewsNovel research reveals the active role that skin cells play in rabies infection
A new study provides direct evidence that keratinocytes can support viral replication and transmit the rabies virus to neurons. The investigators offer a mechanistic explanation for how superficial skin exposures from scratches or minor bites by dogs and bats can lead to neuroinvasion.