All articles by Linda Stewart – Page 36
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NewsTicks are ‘spreading like wildfire’ - and more of them are carrying Lyme
Not only are tick numbers growing in the US, but today’s ticks are more likely to carry Lyme disease bacteria and other dangerous pathogens. Researchers have noticed a greater diversity of ticks, suggesting a complex pattern of movement and perhaps the introduction or reintroduction of animals, including birds.
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NewsBacterial STIs reach record highs in Europe, and congenital syphilis cases nearly double
New figures indicate a surge in bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across Europe. In 2024, notifications of gonorrhoea and syphilis, alongside congenital syphilis, reached their highest levels in over a decade, reflecting sustained transmission across multiple countries.
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NewsHealthcare utilization disruptions continue in post-COVID China
Although China’s stringent public health policy, Dynamic Zero-Covid, was lifted in late 2022, researchers have discovered substantial, long-term declines in outpatient clinic visits and hospitalizations compared to expected levels from 2020 to 2024 in China.
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NewsThe novel effector CREP1 of endophytic Fusarium lateritium regulates host plant immunity through interaction with receptor protein NbEIX2
This study employed plant apoplastic proteomics and transcriptomics to identify effector proteins secreted by the endophytic fungus Fusarium lateritium, and elucidated at the molecular level a novel mechanism by which the pectinase-like effector CREP1 activates plant immunity.
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NewsLargest-ever Canadian clinical trial tests ‘poop pills’ to improve immunotherapy for lung cancer
For nearly half of people diagnosed with lung cancer, immunotherapy can slow the disease but not stop it. A clinical trial will pair immunotherapy with fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) with the goal of safely increasing treatment effectiveness. If successful, it could provide new treatment options for people with lung cancer.
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NewsHost-based antifouling gold nanotube sensor for the selective detection of mechanically sensitive serotonin release in intestinal mucosa
A new study report a stretchable electrochemical sensing platform with high deformation insensitivity and strong antibiofouling capability. The platform enables in situ capture of dynamic small-molecule chemical signals in the gut, and revealed a new mechanism underlying enhanced intestinal mechanosensation under microbe-related stimulation.
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CareersVoice of the Future: Inspiring conversations at the science-policy interface
Earlier this year, Suparna Mitra and Alan Koh took part in the Royal Society of Biology’s Voice of the Future event at Parliament, representing AMI. Here they reflect on the experience and what they took away from it.
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Careers The First Microbiome Symposium of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean – new success for the COBRE Center for Microbiome Sciences
The inaugural Microbiome Symposium of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean marked a major milestone for microbiome science in the region and reinforced Puerto Rico’s growing leadership in interdisciplinary biomedical research, says chair Filipa Godoy-Vitorino of the University of Puerto Rico.
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NewsAsteroid impact site reveals possible traces of early life
Scientists have uncovered new evidence that could help explain how Earth’s atmosphere became rich in oxygen, one of the most transformative events in the planet’s history. Researchers report finding stromatolites, layered structures formed by microbial communities, within the only confirmed impact crater on the Korean Peninsula.
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NewsResearchers discover the secret behind gray mold’s unstoppable spread
For years, scientists have unsuccessfully tried to breed crops that could resist Botrytis cinerea. New research suggests decades of crop breeding strategies may have overlooked a crucial piece of the puzzle: the pathogen itself. The problem may lie in a fundamental misunderstanding of how plants and the pathogen interact.
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News‘Invasional mutualism’ between honey bees and myrtle rust pathogen
Newresearch has found that the Western honey bee - an introduced species to Australia - and the devastating, invasive plant fungus known as myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii) may have formed a mutually beneficial relationship known as an ’invasional mutualism’.
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NewsGlobal Virus Network experts urge rapid regional action as Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak raises cross-border concerns
The Global Virus Network (GVN) calls for greater global financial, logistical and research support for the local response to the rare Bundibugjo Ebola virus outbreak in Africa. The spread of this virus, largely undetected, was declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization.
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NewsResearch outlines strategy to protect Amazonian cocoa against witches’ broom
A new study evaluated 25 cocoa cultivars and identified two with superior performance. Both demonstrated a greater ability to maintain high productivity in mineral-poor soils and when attacked by the witches’ broom fungus. Production increased by up to 32% compared to more susceptible varieties.
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NewsProtected areas that help wildlife often do little for the soil fungi that plants depend on
Scientists built the most comprehensive models ever of the ranges of 2,858 important fungal species and compared them with the world’s protected landscapes. More than half of these critical underground organisms are less protected than if conservation areas had been drawn at random.
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NewsTibet’s thawing lakes accelerate greenhouse gas release
Lakes on the Tibetan Plateau are undergoing a dramatic transformation; once stable carbon sinks, they are rapidly becoming significant sources of greenhouse gases due to climate warming. Rising temperatures are accelerating permafrost thaw and glacier retreat, feeding feeds the expansion of ’thermokarst’ lakes.
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NewsNew ‘permanently wet’ coating method could transform wastewater treatment by helping bacteria survive better
Living bacteria embedded in coatings could clean wastewater, capture carbon and generate biofuels – if they survive the manufacturing process. Researchers have developed a method that keeps bacteria submerged throughout coating formation, increasing the number of surviving cells by around 500 times compared to conventional approaches.
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NewsThe impact of microplastics on ocean carbon uptake
Scientists who collected phytoplankton data from various climate zones around the world determined the extent to which growth is limited by microplastics. They have then used this data to calculate the average impact that a certain concentration of microplastics will have on algae in different regions or climate zones, as well as on a global scale.
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NewsResearch findings could expand bioluminescence-based applications in medicine and other industries
Medical researchers have used fungal light-producing enzymes in the Fungal Bioluminescence Pathway (FBP) to visually track processes like tumor progression and inflammatory responses. New research provides insights that may help improve and expand such bioluminescence-based tools and applications.
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NewsRevealing the invisible: a new baseline for Salish sea diatoms answers a global call
Diatoms are powerful in driving roughly 20% of global photosynthesis and forming the very base of marine food webs. Scientists have published a new checklist of 924 diatom taxa alongside a curated dataset of 11,469 records, providing a long-needed foundation for environmental monitoring across the Salish Sea bioregion.
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NewsNew research offers practical biosecurity tools to limit poultry disease spread
New research could help producers better protect poultry flocks from disease outbreaks while reducing costs. By identifying where contamination occurs and how to interrupt those pathways, the research helps move biosecurity from theory to action, offering tools that can protect animal health and support a more stable food supply.