All horizontal gene transfer articles
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NewsNew review reveals how microbial communities accelerate the global spread of antibiotic resistance
A new scientific review has uncovered how complex microbial communities, including those in the human gut and the natural environment, act as powerful engines that drive the evolution and spread of antimicrobial resistance.
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NewsDr José Luis Balcazar named as winner of John Snow Public Health Innovation Prize
Dr José Luis Balcazar, Senior researcher at the Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Spain, has been named as the newest winner of the John Snow Public Health Innovation Prize.
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NewsEveryday levels of antibiotics in the environment may accelerate the global spread of resistance, new study finds
A new study shows that even very small amounts of antibiotics that commonly appear in soil, rivers, wastewater, and agricultural runoff may significantly accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes among bacteria.
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NewsFungi set the stage for life on land hundreds of millions of years earlier than thought
New research indicates the diversification of fungi hundreds of millions of years before the emergence of land plants. It suggests a common ancestor of living fungi dating to roughly 1.4–0.9 billion years ago.
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NewsVast gut microbiome diversity and antibiotic resistome across 14 mammal species on the Tibetan Plateau
A new study provides the most comprehensive genomic catalogue to date of mammalian gut microbiomes from the Tibetan Plateau.
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NewsReading the genome and understanding evolution: Symbioses and gene transfer in leaf beetles
A new study shows how repeated horizontal gene transfer and the establishment of symbioses with bacteria enabled leaf beetles to rapidly adapt to a plant-based diet, contributing to their remarkable evolutionary success.
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NewsStudy reveals the hidden genomic evolution of brown algae - and how bacteria and viruses helped
A groundbreaking study has unveiled the evolutionary journey of brown algae through a comprehensive genomic analysis of 44 species, including key evolutionary milestones, such as the transition from unicellular to multicellular forms.
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NewsHistoric outbreaks of coffee wilt disease linked to gene transfer from another fungus
The fungus that causes coffee wilt disease repeatedly took up segments of DNA from a related fungal pathogen, which contributed to successive outbreaks of the disease.
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NewsSymbiotic bacterium affects reproduction of biological control insect
Researchers have revealed that the symbiotic bacterium Rickettsia induces strong cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) in the predatory mirid bug, Nesidiocoris tenuis, which preys on agricultural pests such as whiteflies and thrips.
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NewsHijacking the command center of the cell: nuclear parasites in deep-sea mussels
Researchers have revealed how a bacterial parasite thrives inside the nuclei of deep-sea mussels, a remarkable feat given that the nucleus is the control center of the cell.
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NewsBoosting plant health: the role of gene exchange with bacteria
Scientists have discovered 75 genes that were transferred between small, fast-growing plants (Arabidopsis thaliana) and its bacterial companions, influencing key processes like carbohydrate metabolism and hormone synthesis.
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NewsResearchers reveal how symbiotic bacteria adapt to big environmental changes
Faced with a drastically changing environment following the closure of the Isthmus of Panama, symbiotic bacteria in lucinid clams acquired new metabolic skills to enable their own survival, new research has revealed.
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NewsGenes identified that allow bacteria to thrive despite toxic heavy metal in soil
Some soil bacteria can acquire sets of genes that enable them to pump the heavy metal nickel out of their systems, a study has found. This enables the bacteria to not only thrive in otherwise toxic soils but help plants grow there as well.
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NewsResearchers create light-powered yeast, providing insights into evolution, biofuels, cellular aging
Researchers have engineered one of the world’s first strains of yeast that may be happier with the lights on.
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NewsNew mode of horizontal gene transfer between maternal and infant gut microbiome uncovered
Researchers have discovered a new mode of vertical mother-to-infant microbiome transmission, where microbes in the maternal gut shared genes with microbes in the infant gut during the perinatal period starting immediately before birth and extending though the first few weeks after birth.