More Ocean Sustainability
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NewsNew insights into coral reproductivity could help protect our reefs
Scientists have uncovered an important missing piece in the puzzle of how some coral reefs can recover from climate events, providing critical information that could help guide future conservation and restoration efforts.
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NewsCurrents in an Arctic sea accelerate the sinking of carbon-carrying phytoplankton
Documenting the seasonal fate of these tiny marine organisms is a step toward understanding how ecosystems in the world’s fastest-warming region may change as ice recedes.
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NewsCorals show ‘vaccine-like’ responses after pathogen exposure
To boost the resilience of corals in the face of increasing sea temperatures and the spread of disease, researchers have found that controlled, low-level exposure to dead pathogenic cells can help corals resist future infection.
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NewsNew form of plastic pollution discovered on the shores of vulnerable coral reefs
‘Plasticorals’, coral rubble fused with plastic, are long-lasting reminders of human activity and highlight a potential threat to critical marine environments. a new study shows.
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NewsNovel database reveals hidden diversity and potential of deep-sea microbes
Scientists have spearheaded Global Ocean Reference Genomes Dark (GORG-Dark), the first global atlas of single-cell microbes living in the aphotic ocean. It contains more than 9,600 genomes from individual microbial cells collected across a broad range of depths and locations, including the Mariana Trench and the Antarctic.
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NewsMolecular insight into biological nitrogen fixation close to the boiling point
Scientists have purified a nitrogen-fixing enzyme from a deep-sea microorganism that shows extreme heat-stability and is possibly of ancient origin. The molybdenum-containing enzyme has been captured in a “turnover” state, highlighting a universal mechanistic principle among nitrogenases.
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NewsThat sinking feeling: Testing for ocean health and carbon storage
Our oceans are in trouble and new research shows how changes in diatoms could further undermine the foundation of aquatic life’s food webs – as well as vital deep-sea carbon capture or sequestration.
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NewsUnder pressure: How a deep-sea protein adapts to an extreme environment
Researchers have uncovered a molecular strategy that enables a deep-sea protein to remain stable under extreme pressure. As pressure increases, the protein assembles into groups of three, called a trimeric structure, and stabilizes itself through a process known as oligomerization-mediated structural stabilization.
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NewsMajor investment to unlock the potential of protist research
A new collaboration will tackle major technical challenges currently limiting protist genomics, helping to unlock the potential of protist research for biomanufacturing, sustainable agriculture and environmental applications.
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NewsFertilizers and extreme heat are damaging coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico
Scientists analyzing nitrogen isotopes in the calcareous skeletons of corals have discovered that the high levels of nitrogen in the northern Gulf originate from the Mississippi River and are attributable to the use of fertilizers.
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NewsApplied Microbiology International announces new president, Professor Raquel Peixoto
Applied Microbiology International is delighted to announce that Professor Raquel Peixoto will be taking over the reins from Professor Jack Gilbert as President.
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NewsAMI calls for marine microbes to be at the heart of Europe’s future ocean policy
Applied Microbiology International (AMI) has responded to the European Commission’s consultation on the proposed EU Ocean Act, highlighting the essential contribution of marine microorganisms to ocean health, climate regulation, biodiversity and the blue bioeconomy.
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NewsArchaea as “flexitarians”: Ammonia-oxidizing microbes also feed on amino acids
Symbiotic ammonia-oxidizing archaea in marine sponges are not strict specialists, but true “flexitarians”. Research has shown that these microbes dine not only on ammonia but also on amino acids - and presumably do that to communicate with their animal host.
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NewsProbiotic and postbiotic treatments revive heat-stressed corals
Researchers have established that both live probiotic and inactivated postbiotic treatments improve coral health—while the animals are under thermal stress during a natural marine heatwave.
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NewsAn enzyme with potential: New type of plastic-degrading enzyme discovered in bacteria
Researchers have identified a new enzyme that can not only degrade certain polyesters and bioplastics, but also might provide bacteria with resistance to antibiotics. The discovery raises hopes that microorganisms can adapt to plastic degradation more rapidly than previously thought.
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NewsWhere do dissimilatory iodate-reducing microorganisms live in the ocean?
Scientists have discovered that dissimilatory iodate-producing microorganisms do not live above marine oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) as long predicted - instead thriving within the OMZs, converting iodate into iodide and promoting the release of marine iodine into the atmosphere.
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NewsAnti-fouling materials protect against slimy incursions
Researchershave received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop materials that incorporate soft robotics and nontoxic polymers to fight biofouling, or the buildup of aquatic organisms in wet environments.
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NewsLoss of kelp forests reverberates down to microbial level
As one moves north, Maine’s kelp forests are being overtaken by dense mats of carpet-like turf algae. The steady decline of kelp, and transition into this new state, is altering the ecosystem all the way down to the microbial level, according to a new study.
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NewsHeat-tolerant corals may be more vulnerable to disease, study finds
Corals that partner with heat-tolerant algae may be better equipped to survive warming oceans but that resilience comes with an unexpected trade-off. Such corals keep their stress response system in a heightened state - and that can backfire.
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NewsTiny ocean plankton holds clues to the future of Maine lobster
Researchers have discovered that planktonic baby lobsters, or larvae, preferentially feed on Calanus finmarchicus, a tiny, calorie-rich zooplankton species, during one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives.