All articles by Linda Stewart – Page 14
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NewsHigh levels of Chagas disease parasite found in bugs near US-Mexico border
Researchers have found unusually high levels of parasitic infection in the insects that transmit Chagas disease in the Borderlands. The bugs were collected near homes and natural areas along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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NewsCFA publishes timely new industry-led UK Ready to Eat Foods Safety and Shelf Life Guidance
New industry-led good practice guidance for manufacturers and retailers of certain ready to eat (RTE) foods will be published on 12 January 2026 to help Food Business Operators (FBOs), Competent Authorities (CAs) and enforcement officers manage the risk posed by Listeria monocytogenes in those products.
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NewsMicrobes may hold the key to brain evolution
A groundbreaking new study reveals that changes to the gut microbiome can change the way the brain works. It provides the first empirical data showing the direct role the gut microbiome plays in shaping differences in the way the brain functions across different primate species.
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NewsHow a fungus leads to tissue growths in maize
When a maize plant is attacked by the fungus Ustilago maydis, tumor-like tissue growths occur at the site of infection. How the pathogen causes this response in its host has long been unknown. But a study has now shown how the fungus takes over the plant’s function for forming lateral roots.
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NewsBats identified as origin of unexplained acute respiratory illness and encephalitis in Bangladesh
Infectious disease researchers have identified Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV), an emerging bat-borne orthoreovirus, in archived throat swab samples and virus cultures from five patients in Bangladesh who were initially suspected to have Nipah virus infection but tested negative.
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NewsAntibiotics in sediments may quietly boost greenhouse gas emissions
A study shows that pharmaceutical pollution alters nitrogen cycling and greenhouse gas emissions in coastal sediments. Even environmentally relevant antibiotic concentrations increased N₂O release, suggesting that widespread contamination may enhance estuarine climate forcing.
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NewsStudy reveals low immunity against H3N2 strain in Hong Kong; early vaccination urged
Flu activity has surged in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, driven primarily by a newly emerged H3N2 strain known as ‘subclade K’. Researchers have found that most hospital patients in Hong Kong have little to undetectable levels of neutralising antibodies against this mutated strain.
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NewsUrban wild bees act as “microbial sensors” of city health
A new study shows that the guts of urban-dwelling wild bees contain detailed microbial signatures that reflect both bee health and the quality of the surrounding environment, offering a powerful new tool for monitoring ecological well-being in cities.
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NewsGut bacteria changes at the earliest stages of inflammatory bowel disease
People newly diagnosed with the most common IBD subtypes, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, lose beneficial anaerobic bacteria that help with digestion of complex carbohydrates. Patients instead experience a rise in oxygen-tolerant bacteria from the mouth that travel in the gut.
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NewsDeep ocean earthquakes drive Southern Ocean’s massive phytoplankton blooms, study finds
Researchers have uncovered evidence that deep underwater earthquakes can spur the growth of massive phytoplankton blooms at the ocean surface. The new findings point to a previously unknown relationship between the ocean floor and life at the surface.
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NewsFlour choice shapes sourdough microbial communities
Researchers analyzed sourdough starters to understand how the type of flour shaped the microbial community. They found that strains in the genus Kazachstania, a common sourdough yeast, to be most abundant in all the starters, but the bacterial composition varied by flour varieties.
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NewsFrom prey to predator: How carnivores spread beneficial fungi
New research reveals that carnivores play an important role in ecosystem function by providing a largely overlooked mechanism for long-distance dispersal of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi.
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NewsCandida auris: genetic process revealed which could be treatment target for deadly fungal disease
Scientists have discovered a genetic process which could unlock new ways to treat a mysterious and deadly fungal infection which has shut down multiple hospital intensive care units.
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NewsBacteria resisting viral infection can still sink carbon to ocean floor
Researchers exploring the mechanisms of phage resistance and its effects on the ecological jobs done by ocean bacteria found that some of the mutations studied don’t interfere with the bacteria’s ability to carry out their job of capturing and sinking carbon to the ocean floor.
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NewsHigh-dose antibiotic does not reduce mortality in tuberculous meningitis
The first trial examining the effects of higher rifampicin doses on tuberculosis survival has been completed. The study found no evidence of a beneficial effect from high-dose rifampicin.
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NewsSoil microbes in Colombia’s páramo and tropical forests respond to seasonal shifts
A new study has demonstrated that microbial communities in the soil of Colombia’s tropical forests and high-altitude páramos are significantly influenced by seasonal changes, particularly during the dry season.
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NewsGut bacteria have evolved rapidly to digest starches in ultra-processed foods
Researchers have found that gene variants that help microbes digest starches found in ultra-processed foods have “swept” the genomes of some species of gut bacteria in industrialized parts of the world.
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NewsFifteen-year cattle manure application reshapes phoD- and gcd-harboring microbiomes, enhancing vegetable yields
A new study demonstrates that combined manure and chemical fertilizer (M+CF) in an open-field lettuce cropping system enhanced both diversity (+45.3%) and abundance (+290%) of gcd-harboring bacteria.
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NewsResearchers develop novel composite copper oxides with strong and stable antiviral activity
Composite copper–lanthanum and copper–yttrium oxides developed by researchers from Japan demonstrate exceptionally high antiviral activity against non-enveloped virus. These oxides are highly stable and achieve over 99.999% viral inactivation in laboratory tests.
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NewsA practical guide for characterization of novel CRISPR-Cas systems with Pro-CRISPR factors
In this protocol, the authors provide a method encompassing protein purification, biochemical characterization, validation of protein-protein interactions, and preliminary in vivo functional assays in bacteria for Cas nuclease and its associated Pro-CRISPR factor.