All Environmental Microbiology articles
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NewsFAU awarded $1.2 million to advance coral reef restoration in Florida
Nearly $1.25 million in new funding will support research into why some restored corals survive while others die. By combining coral genetics, microbiome analysis and field monitoring, researchers aim to identify which corals are most likely to withstand heat, bleaching and disease at different reef sites.
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NewsLow-level lead exposure linked to higher strep throat risk in children
Even relatively low levels of lead exposure may be linked to a higher risk of strep throat in children. In a study of more than 13,000 children, those with blood lead levels below current public health action thresholds still had substantially higher odds of a strep diagnosis.
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NewsNew report calls for stronger One Health systems as climate risks grow
Climate change and shrinking global health budgets are increasing the pressure on systems designed to prevent diseases that spread between animals and people. A new report calls for stronger One Health surveillance, more investment in frontline veterinary and environmental services, and greater emphasis on preventing spillover before outbreaks begin.
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NewsStudy reveals fungi as overlooked players in agricultural antibiotic resistance
Fungi may be helping antibiotic resistance genes survive during livestock manure composting. Researchers found that suppressing fungal activity weakened microbial networks and increased the removal of resistance genes, suggesting that fungi could play an overlooked role in the environmental spread of antimicrobial resistance.
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NewsScientists warn deadly chytrid fungus is approaching a unique amphibian haven
An isolated mountain range in Colombia remains free of the deadly chytrid fungus that has devastated amphibians elsewhere in the Americas. But researchers found a highly virulent variant only about 20 kilometres away, creating a rare opportunity to protect a rich amphibian community before the disease arrives.
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NewsTranslucent petals create microclimates that shape flower microbiomes
Translucent patches in flower petals can alter the light and heat inside blooms, creating tiny microclimates that shape the microbes living there. Researchers found that warmer flowers tended to harbour fewer microbes, suggesting that petal structure may influence floral microbiomes and potentially plant-pollinator interactions.
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NewsElectricity-powered yeast converts CO₂ into useful chemicals
Researchers have developed an electrobioreactor that turns carbon dioxide into itaconic acid, a valuable chemical used in plastics, textiles and resins. The system combines electrochemistry with engineered yeast, offering a potential route to produce bio-based chemicals from emissions instead of sugar.
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NewsAvian flu could push vulnerable vulture populations into further decline
H5N1 avian influenza is emerging as a serious threat to already vulnerable vulture populations, with deaths reported across the Americas and Europe. Researchers warn that losing these scavengers could also weaken a natural barrier against disease by allowing infected carcasses and pathogens to persist for longer.
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NewsHow eggplants ‘farm’ their own microbiomes: Genetic secrets revealed
Eggplants appear to actively shape the microbial communities around their roots through their own genetics. A large global study has identified more than 1,200 genetic variants linked to key root microbes, revealing how crop evolution and domestication may have helped plants recruit beneficial microbial partners.
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NewsCould climate change have helped Candida auris become a global pathogen?
How did Candida auris become a global health threat so quickly? A new review suggests climate change may be one factor, with rising environmental temperatures potentially favouring fungi that can tolerate the heat of the human body, although researchers stress that the link has not yet been proven.
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NewsReindeer grazing reshapes the hidden roots of northern forests
Reindeer grazing is reshaping northern pine forests beneath the surface as well as above it. Researchers found nearly 30% less shallow-root biomass in grazed forests, alongside shorter, thicker and less-branched roots, changes that could alter nutrient uptake, soil microbial communities and the way carbon moves through these ecosystems.
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NewsMuseum specimens help solve a 50-year mystery of disappearing frogs
A 50-year-old mystery surrounding frog disappearances in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest may finally have an answer. By testing decades-old museum specimens, researchers found that the chytrid fungus arrived just as amphibian populations collapsed, offering some of the clearest evidence yet linking the pathogen to the historic die-off.
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NewsAspens ‘remember’ past drought in their leaves
Drought may leave more than narrow rings inside a tree trunk. New research suggests quaking aspen can retain a chemical ‘memory’ of dry years, changing the defensive compounds in their leaves and reshaping the fungal communities that live on them long after soils have rewetted.
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NewsSalicylic acid helps apples fight blue mould after harvest
A natural plant signalling compound could help apples fight one of their most common storage diseases. Researchers found that salicylic acid slowed blue mould development while reshaping the fruit’s phenolic metabolism, revealing chemical changes that may help explain how apples resist fungal decay.
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NewsStudy maps antimicrobial resistance across major drinking water sources
Rivers, reservoirs and lakes can act as reservoirs for antibiotic residues and antimicrobial resistance, but the risks are not evenly distributed. A new study of drinking water sources in the Poyang Lake basin found that rivers and certain lake sites carried higher resistance-gene burdens, with mobile genetic elements emerging as a key factor linked to their spread.
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NewsUniversity of Stirling secures £2.4M grant for major aquaculture project
Antibiotic resistance is becoming an increasing challenge for Vietnam’s vast pangasius catfish industry, where farmers often have few practical alternatives when treatments stop working. A new £2.4 million project will bring scientists, farmers and policymakers together to develop more sustainable ways to control disease and reduce reliance on antibiotics.
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NewsHow deep-sea clams and bacteria survive shifting energy supplies
Deep-sea clams living at cold seeps survive in an environment where their main energy source can rise and fall dramatically. New research shows that the clams and their bacterial partners respond together, switching metabolic pathways, adjusting symbiont populations and reallocating resources to remain stable under changing conditions.
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NewsWhat makes hantaviruses jump from rodents to humans?
Why do some hantaviruses jump from rodents to humans while others remain largely confined to wildlife? A new study will combine viral genetics, climate data and wildlife ecology to uncover the conditions that drive spillover and help identify where future outbreaks are most likely to emerge.
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NewsPenguin poo is melting Antarctic snow by keeping algae green
Penguin poo is fertilizing snow algae blooms along the Antarctic Peninsula, feeding dense green algae patches along the coastline, a new study shows. These expanding stretches of green snow melt faster than clean, white snow, potentially speeding up the spread of snow- and ice- free areas of Antarctica.
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NewsGlobal genome atlas reveals hidden life in lakes
Researchers reconstructed nearly 20,000 mitochondrial genomes from around 3,660 species fround in lakes and reservoirs. The result is the first global genomic atlas of these microscopic eukaryotes found in lakes and reservoirs. It reveals a wealth of previously unknown biodiversity: for several groups of algae and related organisms.