All Editorial articles – Page 56
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NewsTwo types of biochar help alfalfa survive salty soils
A new study shows that carefully designed biochar can guide plant metabolism and reshape beneficial microbial communities around the roots to help reduce stress from saline-alkali soil.
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NewsScientists just found 4 new species of underwater ‘living pink rocks’ that help to store carbon
Rhodoliths may look like small rocks on the seafloor, but they’re actually living algae that create habitats for marine life and contribute to long-term carbon storage. The deeper ‘low-light’ waters off Japan’s Tanegashima Island harbor a surprisingly distinct and diverse community, including four species completely new to science.
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NewsBacteria organise themselves into diverse, coordinated communities in order to travel across large distances
A new study examined the migration of microbial communities over long distances, and found bacteria migrate not as solitary swimmers, but in diverse, coordinated communities that also contain viruses and “hitchhiking” microbes that cannot swim on their own.
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NewsNew antibiotic attacks bacteria in never-before-seen way
Scientists have discovered a new antibiotic that works in a never-before-seen way and may be the next frontliner in the fight against drug-resistant superbugs.
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NewsWhy plastic lingers: Water chemistry slows nature’s cleanup
In a new study designed to mimic real environmental conditions, researchers found that the chemical makeup of natural waters significantly delays the breakdown of polystyrene, a common plastic used in packaging and food containers. Because sunlight cannot effectively initiate the degradation process, microbes cannot finish the job.
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NewsThe evolution of individual species can shape entire species communities
A study demonstrated that the evolution of a single species can alter the composition of an entire species community. The study monitored a microbial community composed of 23 bacterial species for four years. Researchers analysed the community’s species composition and changes in bacterial genomes.
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NewsBiologist dives beneath Antarctica sea ice to study the impact of climate change
One biologist is studying the genetic diversity of red algae to see how this vital part of Antarctica’s underwater ecosystem is affected by climate change. Answering that question is becoming increasingly important as Earth’s warming climate causes Antarctica’s sea ice to recede farther with every passing year.
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NewsBiochar and beneficial microbes team up to restore polluted soils and boost crop growth
A new review examines how biochar-immobilized microbes can help clean contaminated soils, improve soil health, and support crop growth. By analyzing evidence from 92 published studies, the authors provide a data-driven overview of how this technology works and what is needed to bring it closer to practical use on farms.
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NewsStudy finds common infection does not increase risk of recurrent preterm birth
A new study has found that the common sexually transmitted infection, Mycoplasma genitalium, also known as MGen, does not appear to increase the risk of recurrent preterm birth. Earlier research suggested that certain Mycoplasma species might contribute to preterm labor, but those studies were limited.
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NewsResearchers test two treatments to protect against deadly cattle disease
As cases of a deadly cattle disease rise in Arkansas, researchers are testing two treatments they hope will help ranchers protect their herds. The disease is bovine theileriosis and is caused by the parasite Theileria orientalis Ikeda, carried primarily by the invasive Asian longhorned tick.
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NewsResearcher efforts to reproduce corals shared with TV cameras
Scientists at Nova Southeastern University are sharing a rare look at a marine mission that aims to pump life back into coral reefs. Researchers waiting for coral-spawning hope the project will be a game-changer in the South Florida ecosystem.
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NewsWarming may weaken biochar’s climate benefits in cropland soils, global study finds
Researchers found that warming significantly increased carbon dioxide emissions from soils treated with biochar by an average of 77%. The effect was especially strong in croplands, where emissions increased by 117.5%, compared with 30.9% in forest soils.
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NewsQ&A: Meet Letters in Applied Microbiology Junior Reviewer Md. Ekramul Karim
We caught up with Md Ekramul Karim, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Houston, who is one of the newest Junior Reviewers with Letters in Applied Microbiology.
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NewsFrom pest to useful tool: How wax moth larvae can help reduce animal testing in research
A new study indicates greater wax moth larvae show great potential as a robust and ethically acceptable in vivo model for studying pathogenic bacteria.
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NewsFirst-in-human clinical trial shows promising results for new Lassa fever vaccine
Researchers have reported encouraging results from an early clinical trial that tested a new dual vaccine against Lassa fever and rabies. The study found that the vaccine was safe and induced immune responses against both viruses. There are currently no vaccines against Lassa fever on the market.
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NewsReducing the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser via improving nitrogen uptake in corn plants
A new agricultural project will help reduce the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer through the design of corn plants that better use nitrogen already in the soil.
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NewsPlants could be used to grow medicines in space, study shows
Astronauts on long space missions may one day use plants to produce fresh stocks of medicines on demand. Researchers developed a simple method to grow and repeatedly harvest plant virus-based pharmaceuticals from plants under space-like conditions, without destroying the plants or generating large amounts of waste.
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NewsDolichol biosynthesis conserved across eukaryotes, not limited just to humans
Researchers say a newly proposed three-step “detour” pathway for making dolichol may be more universal than scientists realized. Experiments in yeast suggest eukaryotes may rely on overlapping biochemical pathways, including the evolutionarily conserved “detour” and evidence of a possible “backup route,” to produce a molecule essential to life.
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NewsWhat dental calculus can tell us about the oral microbiomes of ancient Japan
Microbe DNA from ancient dental calculus offers insights into the past oral microbiomes of the Japanese people, including the phylogeny of the periodontal disease-associated archaeon, Methanobrevibacter oralis.
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NewsAntibiotics drive resistance in waterways - even after they break down
Antibiotics continue to drive resistance to bacteria, even after they are broken down in wastewater treatment plants and discharged into rivers and seas, new research published on World Oceans Day has shown for the first time.