All Early Career Research articles – Page 7
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NewsNew AI tool reveals how drugs kill tuberculosis
A new study offers a powerful AI-assisted method for uncovering exactly how TB drugs kill the bacteria, opening the door to smarter treatment combinations that could work faster.
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NewsStudy reveals the microbial battlegrounds within estuaries - and the part played by microplastics
Estuaries are known hotspots for biodiversity and are turbulent mixing zones where freshwater and seawater microbes confront one another. Source: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of the Baltic Sea ...
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NewsScientists hack microbes to identify environmental sources of methane
A new paper reveals how the activity of one of the main microbial enzymes involved in producing methane affects the isotope composition used as a fingerprint of various environmental sources.
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NewsResearchers use generative AI to design compounds that can kill drug-resistant bacteria
With help from artificial intelligence, researchers have designed novel antibiotics that can combat two hard-to-treat infections: drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae and multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
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NewsFermentation method transforms unripe fruits into specialty coffees
Normally discarded, green beans from the Arara cultivar were subjected to airless fermentation and produced high-quality beverages in blind tests. Researchers see potential for the product to be valued in domestic and foreign markets.
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News‘Controlled evolution’ dramatically boosts pDNA production for biomedical manufacturing
Researchers have controlled the evolution of E. coli bacteria in the lab in order to dramatically increase the amount of plasmid DNA (pDNA) these modified bacteria produce. pDNA is an essential – and expensive – ingredient in many gene therapies.
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NewsLignin is effective against viruses and bacteria
Lignin, a polyphenol, has antimicrobial activity against viruses and bacteria. An by-product from wood industry, lignin has potential as promising green alternative to synthetic antimicrobial agents for coating agents, packaging material, or surface disinfectants.
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NewsBee and frog proteins: nature’s double defense against farm superbugs
A new study reveals that combining natural antimicrobial peptides can significantly slow the development of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. Using two peptides together prevents harmful bacteria from mutating as quickly, offering a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics.
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NewsSeventy-year-old Parkinson’s drug shows promise against tuberculosis
A medication developed in the 1950s to treat Parkinson’s disease may offer a powerful new tool in the fight against tuberculosis. The study found that benztropine can dramatically reduce levels of TB-causing bacteria by boosting the body’s natural immune response.
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NewsCommon food thickeners – long thought to pass right through us – are actually digested
It turns out cellulose-based thickening agents can be digested. Researchers have shown that our gut bacteria can feed on these large molecules – thought to not be possible – thanks to enzymes that normally help us break down dietary fibre.
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NewsCommon food bacterium could help make vitamins cheaper and greener
A new study reveals how Lactococcus lactis, a common food bacterium, regulates the production of a key precursor in vitamin K₂ (menaquinone) biosynthesis. The bacteria produce enough of this precursor to support their growth while preventing toxic buildup.
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NewsResearchers discover all-new antifungal drug candidate in university greenhouse
A research team at McMaster University has discovered a new drug class that could someday lead to breakthrough treatments for dangerous fungal infections. The new molecules, dubbed coniotins, were isolated from a plant-dwelling fungus called Coniochaeta hoffmannii — the samples of which were collected from the McMaster ...
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NewsAI uncovers new antibiotics in ancient microbes
Researchers used artificial intelligence to identify previously unknown compounds in Archaea that could fuel the development of next-generation antibiotics.
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NewsGeorgia and Ukraine launch national Reproducibility Networks with support from the TIER2 project
Two new national Reproducibility Networks have been launched in Georgia and Ukraine with support from the TIER2 project – a step towards strengthening open, transparent, and high-quality research practices in Horizon Europe Widening participation countries.
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News4,000-year-old sheep reveals that livestock played a role in prehistoric plague infections
An ancient Yersinia pestis genome recovered from sheep sheds new light on a mysterious infectious disease that plagued prehistoric Eurasia for over 2000 years.
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NewsCopper antimicrobials can drive antibiotic resistance in bacteria, but there’s a fix, scientists say
Microbiologists have found that heavy use of copper antimicrobials can drive antibiotic resistance in bacteria. However, resistance quickly diminishes without copper exposure, suggesting that copper could help reduce antibiotic resistance if alternated with other measures.
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NewsRevealed: New vaccine target to block malaria transmission
Researchers have visualised a key protein complex in malaria parasites for the first time, uncovering a new target for next-generation vaccines that could help stop the disease from spreading.
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NewsSweet disguise: the human body hides RNA with sugar coatings
To our immune system, naked RNA is a sign of a viral or bacterial invasion and must be attacked. But our own cells also have RNA. To ward off trouble, our cells clothe their RNA in sugars, a new study reports.
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NewsNanoparticles that self-assemble at room temperature could transform vaccine delivery
Researchers have engineered polymer-based nanoparticles that form with a simple temperature shift—no harsh chemicals, no specialized equipment, and no processing needed. They can self-assemble at room temperature and deliver RNA to living cells.
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NewsResearchers create improved natural blue food dye from algae
Food scientists have created a natural blue food dye made of algae protein that could replace petroleum-based artificial food colorants with a stable, adaptable option.