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
Green hydrogen production and storage using alcohols, iron, and baker’s yeast
A new recyclable system uses baker’s yeast to store H₂ in organic molecules and iron ions to release it when needed - offering a promising route toward more sustainable hydrogen production and storage.
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NewsCreating yeast strains that aren’t picky eaters
Scientists have engineered yeasts that can simultaneously use different sugars in biomass crops.
NewsGlacier retreat could promote the spread of diseases among bees
A new study shows that glacier retreat and the changing vegetation could influence the spread of certain pathogens between honeybees and wild bees.
NewsPomegranate emerges as a promising natural phytobiotic for veterinary medicine
Researchers have identified a broad range of biological properties in pomegranate with potential for use in medical applications, including antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects.
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News
Earthly microbes could survive on the moon
Microbes likely to hitch a ride to space with human explorers could survive in shady spots in the moon’s south pole region.
NewsAntibiotic resistance is an environmental problem, not just a medical one
New research shows that wild farm mice carry around 50% of the antibiotic resistance genes found in livestock.
NewsBiopolymers for better soil
Researchers take a new approach to tackling desertification - adding bacteria and fungi to the sand in order to form structured networks across sand grains, giving them more cohesion.
NewsTexas A&M Engineering leads work on rapid screwworm treatment
A multidisciplinary team is developing three novel wound treatments that quickly kill larvae while reducing chemical residues, offering ranchers and veterinarians a rapid response tool that current screwworm eradication methods cannot provide.
NewsNative microbial team helps acidic soil recover while boosting crop growth
Researchers have developed a small, carefully selected community of native soil bacteria that can reduce acid stress while helping plants access essential nutrients.
NewsGenome-scale model-guided microbial engineering converts agricultural waste into biodegradable bioplastics
Researchers develop a genome-scale model-guided microbial engineering platform that converts kimchi industry waste into biodegradable bioplastics.
NewsBarley discovery reveals nitrogen cycling pathway that could offer a nature-based solution to fertilizer loss
A new study reveals the presence of a nitrogen cycling pathway in barley that could prove valuable in cutting fertilizer requirements as the cost to farmers rises.
NewsDrought is reshaping the spread of infectious diseases
A review study reveals how drier conditions could make humans and wildlife more vulnerable to certain infectious diseases, even though many parasites and disease-carrying organisms depend heavily on water to survive.
NewsPlant pathologist selected as Fulbright Distinguished Scholar
Heather Kelly, field crops pathologist in the University of Tennessee Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, has received a prestigious Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Award for two one-month trips to Brazil in 2026 and 2027.
NewsOak leaves harbor distinct microbial worlds on their opposite surfaces
Researchers have discovered that the upper and lower surfaces of a single oak leaf function as two fundamentally different microbial habitats.
NewsWhen fever isn’t the answer: Infected tadpoles cool themselves to fight viruses
Researchers have experimentally demonstrated that an ectothermic vertebrate infected with a virus actively seeks cooler, rather than warmer, environments to regulate its body temperature.
NewsCorn stalks. It’s what’s for dinner … If you’re a microbe
Engineers have developed a strain of a common bacterial species, Pseudomonas putida, that can feed exclusively on the three major sugars present in corn stalks, with broader implications for the future of biomanufacturing.
NewsBiochar made from brewery waste could help trap harmful bacteria in sandy filtration systems
Researchers have found that biochar made from a common brewery byproduct can substantially improve the ability of sand to retain Escherichia coli, pointing to a potential new use for brewing waste in water filtration and groundwater protection.
NewsYour next handbag could start with mycelium
Researchers create durable, biodegradable vegan leather from fungal fibers using a manufacturing process designed for large-scale production.
NewsProtein-enriched ketchup gets a boost from algae extracts
Added protein is showing up in foods from breakfast cereal to pasta, but not many condiments … yet. Researchers have now developed an enriched tomato ketchup by incorporating protein extracted from microalgae.
NewsResearchers discover a fungal protein that causes leaf loss in crops
A research team has succeeded in gaining insights into the genetic basis of “defoliation” caused by the pathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae. A key protein they have identified is responsible for the aggressive nature of the fungus.
NewsMicrobial keystone taxa stabilize nutrient cycling in deep-water reservoirs
A research team has found that microbial communities in a large, thermally stratified reservoir changed more strongly from year to year than between surface and deep waters, while their overall metabolic functions remained comparatively stable.
NewsResearchers find evidence for two independent origins of life
Researchers retraced the origin of enzymes during life’s earliest divergence into bacteria and archaea, and found evidence for two independent origins of life for free-living cells.