All Asia & Oceania articles – Page 9
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NewsData-guided bioelectrodes pave way for greener remediation
There is an urgent need to develop data-driven strategies that can accelerate and scale up microbial dechlorination for contaminated environments. Researchers report a new machine learning framework that integrates experimental features with microbial biofilm data to optimize bioelectrodechlorination.
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NewsScientist invents MICROCAP, an algae-based oxygen generator that removes CO₂ and purifies indoor air
A lecturer in Thailand has invented the MICROCAP air purifier, which uses photosynthetic algae to absorb carbon dioxide and produce 20 times more oxygen than trees.
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NewsRevolutionizing bioplastics: a microbial platform for fully bio-based long-chain polyesters
Researchers have developed a scalable, end-to-end microbial process transforming plant oils into sustainable polyesters comparable to petroleum-based plastics.
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NewsScientists develop safer and more sustainable antimicrobials to prevent infection of cow udders
A new study has unveiled an alternative class of potent antimicrobial compounds that could be used in the agriculture industry to combat multi-drug-resistant bacteria that cause bovine mastitis.
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NewsExpanding the genetic toolkit: nitrogen-response promoters developed for Bacillus licheniformis
Promoters are crucial expression elements in synthetic biology, and Bacillus licheniformis serves as an excellent chassis cell for industrial production, but is restricted by a lack of nitrogen source-responsive promoters.
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NewsEarth’s oxygen boom: a fresh perspective for a billion-year-old problem
A new study examines nickel and urea in early microbial habitats, showing how ancient cyanobacteria adapted to their chemical surroundings. By recreating Archean conditions in the lab, researchers uncovered clues about the delicate balances that shaped early cyanobacterial life.
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NewsHow microbial strain variations influence neurobehavior
Microbial single nucleotide variations influence host cognitive behavior by regulating metabolism, a new study of merino sheep reveals.
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NewsFrom glucose to gourmet: engineered bacteria churn out key food additive
Researchers used E. coli as the chassis to produce inosinic acid (IMP), a popular umami enhancer. By reprogramming the metabolic flux network of E. coli and introducing amino acid mutations in the key enzymes in the synthesis pathway, the yield was significantly increased.
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NewsResearchers uncover hidden plant–microbe strategy that boosts crop growth under nutrient stress
Scientists discovered that when soil microbes compete with each other in the rhizosphere, they release a well-known compound called glutathione. This compound enhances plant growth under sulphur-deficient conditions.
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NewsChemobiological platform enables renewable conversion of sugars into core aromatic hydrocarbons of petroleum
Researchers have developed a chemobiological platform that converts renewable carbon sources such as glucose and glycerol into oxygenated precursors, which are deoxygenated in the same solvent system to yield benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and p-xylene (BTEX).
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NewsBiochar and plants join forces to clean up polluted soils and boost ecosystem recovery
A review explores how combining biochar with rhizoremediation, a nature-based process that uses plant roots and beneficial microbes to break down pollutants, can greatly enhance soil restoration. Biochar acts as both a catalyst and a habitat for microbes.
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NewsMore than a feeling: Could a healthier gut improve mental health?
A new review finds strong causal evidence that gut microbes can change brain chemistry, stress responses and behaviours in animal models; and evidence that probiotics, diet changes, and faecal microbiota transplants improve mood and anxiety.
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NewsSlime mold metabolites are a promising, eco-friendly repellent of root-knot nematodes
A team of researchers has discovered 14 compounds secreted by slime molds that repel root-knot nematodes (RKNs) - worm-like parasites of the genus Meloidogyne - and could be the source of new, non-toxic anti-RKN pesticides.
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NewsLittle-known strep bacteria behind growing number of severe infections
An under-recognised strep bacterium is causing a growing number of serious infections in Australia, with First Nations Australians disproportionately affected, according to new research.
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NewsResearch team with the latest Nobel Prize laureate reveals regulatory immune cell precursors disrupted in severe COVID-19
A research team joined by Professor Shimon Sakaguchi – the latest Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine – has identified a subset of immune cells called precursor T follicular regulatory cells (preTfr) that play a critical role in preventing autoantibody production.
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NewsDeadwood-decomposing fungi feed germinating orchids
Deadwood-decomposing fungi feed germinating orchids, providing the carbon their tiny seeds don’t have. The finding not only closes a gap in our understanding of wild orchid ecology but also uncovers an important carbon flux in the ecosystem.
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NewsSoil bacteria and minerals form a natural ‘battery’ that breaks down antibiotics in the dark
Researchers have unveiled a surprising new way that soil microbes can use sunlight energy. The team developed a “bio-photovoltage soil-microbe battery” that can capture, store, and release solar energy to power the breakdown of antibiotic pollutants in the dark.
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NewsChanges in gut microbiota influence which patients get AIG-related neuroendocrine tumors
Researchers have discovered how the balance of bacteria in the stomach affects the growth of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). By identifying the specific bacteria involved and the biochemical reactions that cause tumor growth, they hope to detect which patients are most likely to develop cancer.
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NewsCould slime mold microbes be a source of potent antimicrobials?
The cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum is a soil microbe that produces diverse natural products with potential antibiotic activity. In this study, researchers optimized lab culture conditions of Dictyostelium cells to boost the levels of low-abundance chlorinated compounds and to characterize their antimicrobial properties.
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NewsBiodegradable microplastics rewire carbon storage in farm fields
A pioneering two-year field study has revealed that biodegradable microplastics, often hailed as eco-friendly alternatives to conventional plastics, are quietly reshaping the chemistry of farmland soils in unexpected and complex ways. They attracted a special group of microbes known as K-strategists—slow-growing, efficient decomposers.