All Microbial Characterisation articles
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NewsBreakthrough in engineering color-sensing yeast
In a new study, scientists engineered baker’s yeast to sense and respond to different colours of light, enabling new ways to control cellular behavior with red and blue light.
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NewsDecoding the gut microbiome’s symphony in health and disease
A new study shows that analysing what gut microbes are doing, rather than identifying which species are present may be more important for understanding intestinal inflammation.
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NewsNew platform speeds bacterial gene mapping for better biotech design
A new platform pinpoints genetic triggers that turn microbes into efficient factories for new chemicals and materials.
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NewsLong non-coding RNAs offer new hope for earlier detection and improved treatment of liver cancer linked to hepatitis B
Long non-coding RNAs may play a pivotal role in shaping the future of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment in HBV-associated liver disease.
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NewsNew coastal pathogen database maps microbial risks across global waters
A new platform allows better mapping of global coastal environments to help track pathogens and associated risk factors.
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NewsAiming for more targeted treatment of serious lung infections
Microbial experts are using DNA sequencing readings to provide more accurate identification of microbial infections, which helps to address risks from long-term use of antibiotics in cystic fibrosis patients.
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NewsRice-grown chaga reveals genes behind valuable triterpenoids
New study links triterpenoid accumulation in Inonotus obliquus with rising expression of key biosynthetic genes, providing a genetic foundation for future work to improve sustainable production of Chaga-derived compounds.
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NewsBacteria can learn and form memories without a brain
Scientists have shown that bacteria can learn from past experiences, store memories across generations and adapt their behavior to changing environments.
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NewsViruses under stress: how viral shells change shape as they dry out
New research explores the structural dynamics and conformational changes of bacteriophage MS2 capsids under conditions of dehydration.
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NewsIntestinal cells found to starve Salmonella of essential nutrients, revealing new tactic in infection defense
A new discovery sheds light on how the human body controls Salmonella infections and opens pathways for potential treatments for Salmonella and other food-borne infections.
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NewsRings of power – how bacteria use circadian clocks to colonise their world
A new study reveals how bacteria rely on circadian clocks to control the spread of their multi-cellular colonies.
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NewsBiofilm “scaffolds” protect bacterium responsible for food poisoning from antibiotics
Bacillus cereus, which is responsible for human infections and food poisoning, builds organized communities that act as a ‘shield’ against antibiotics, a new study reveals.
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NewsA soil bacterium turns electricity and carbon dioxide into acetate
A new study shows that a soil bacterium can directly reduce Fe(III) minerals, exchange electrons with electrodes, and use electrode-derived electrons to convert carbon dioxide into acetate under autotrophic conditions.
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NewsPhylogenetic analysis reveals ten new species of Inocybe mushrooms
New taxonomic and phylogenetic investigation of Inocybe mushrooms reveals ten new species, one newly discovered in the Gaoligong Mountains, China.
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NewsHow cyanobacteria developed photosynthetic membranes over the course of evolution
New research analyses hundreds of cyanobacterial genomes to understand the origin of thylakoids, the internal membranes involved in photosynthesis.
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FeaturesUnder the microscope: extremophiles of the Earth
Extremophiles are microbial organisms that live in extreme environments normally considered uninhabitable. Over the past few decades, extremophiles have been discovered in increasingly bizarre and unexpected environments around the globe, including within acid lakes, plastic recycling centres and even in radioactive sites such as Chernobyl.
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NewsStudy reveals how bacteria assemble their envelope
Researchers have discovered a key process for how the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria attaches to the cell wall, advancing the understanding of how these bacteria frequently manifest resistance to antibiotics.
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NewsMaternal weight may influence microbiota signalling in amniotic fluid
New research investigates how maternal factors during pregnancy affect small particles produced by the body’s microbiota, giving insights into a new way to monitor maternal and fetal health during pregnancy.
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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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CareersUnearthing the secrets of living rocks
Working on a NASA-CSA project was a dream come true - and 13 years on, I’ve travelled the world unravelling the secret of contemporary microbialites.