Latest news
Ancient virus may have helped shape differences between human and chimpanzee brains
A virus that infected chimpanzees millions of years ago may have left a lasting mark on brain development. Researchers found that a viral DNA remnant silences a gene involved in early brain development in chimpanzees, while the same gene remains active in humans.
Scientists propose national microbiome plan to prevent chronic disease
Leading microbiome researchers are calling for a global ‘moonshot’ to determine how the microbes living in and on our bodies contribute to chronic disease. The proposed agenda would combine long-term human studies, clinical trials, global research standards and public education to move the field from promising associations towards proven causes and treatments.
Gut microbiome may help explain why sleep improvement varies after hydrogen supplementation
Hiroshima University researchers investigated the effects of hydrogen supplementation on sleep quality in healthy human volunteers. While hydrogen supplementation had no significant effect compared to a placebo, individuals in the hydrogen-supplementation group reporting better sleep quality were discovered to have a lower abundance of hydrogen producing bacteria in their gut microbiome.
Drug-resistant bacteria in clinic air raise infection-control concerns
Air sampled inside a South African clinic contained multiple ESKAPE bacteria resistant to commonly used antibiotics, with some surviving even last-resort treatments. The findings raise concerns about airborne exposure in healthcare settings, particularly for patients with weakened immune systems.
How eggplants ‘farm’ their own microbiomes: Genetic secrets revealed
Eggplants appear to actively shape the microbial communities around their roots through their own genetics. A large global study has identified more than 1,200 genetic variants linked to key root microbes, revealing how crop evolution and domestication may have helped plants recruit beneficial microbial partners.
Review probes marine host-microbe symbioses - and what they mean for conservation
A new review casts new light on what the ocean can tell us about the partnership between animals and microbes. Almost every marine organism, from corals and sponges to squid, fish, deep-sea mussels and seagrasses, lives as a holobiont: a host together with the bacteria, archaea, microscopic eukaryotes and viruses it carries.
Ancient virus may have helped shape differences between human and chimpanzee brains
A virus that infected chimpanzees millions of years ago may have left a lasting mark on brain development. Researchers found that a viral DNA remnant silences a gene involved in early brain development in chimpanzees, while the same gene remains active in humans.
Gut microbiome may help explain why sleep improvement varies after hydrogen supplementation
Hiroshima University researchers investigated the effects of hydrogen supplementation on sleep quality in healthy human volunteers. While hydrogen supplementation had no significant effect compared to a placebo, individuals in the hydrogen-supplementation group reporting better sleep quality were discovered to have a lower abundance of hydrogen producing bacteria in their gut microbiome.
Drug-resistant bacteria in clinic air raise infection-control concerns
Air sampled inside a South African clinic contained multiple ESKAPE bacteria resistant to commonly used antibiotics, with some surviving even last-resort treatments. The findings raise concerns about airborne exposure in healthcare settings, particularly for patients with weakened immune systems.
Perpetual Next signs agreement to accelerate the roll-out of standardized biomethanol plants
Perpetual Next have signed a License and Engineering Agreement with Air Liquide Engineering and Technologies for the supply of syngas-to-methanol technology for Perpetual Next’s first biomethanol facility, with an option to extend across other biomethanol sites.
AFYREN and Terrial renew their partnership for French-manufactured potash fertilizers
AFYREN and Terrial today announce the renewal of their strategic partnership with the signing of a new multi-year fertilizer supply contract, worth several tens of millions of euros This long-term contract strengthens both companies’ commitment to making French agriculture more sustainable and less dependent on international fertilizer markets.
Two-in-one tool tracks viral RNA inside live infected cells in real time
The tool lets researchers film activity of Zika and chikungunya viruses in high resolution and identify virus-host interactions, a key step to developing effective antiviral strategies that could stop infections
Light-powered algae bring a soft robotic arm to life
A soft robotic arm powered by living algae can bend, grasp and lift small objects using only changes in light. The device turns photosynthesis-driven changes in acidity into mechanical motion, offering a glimpse of soft robots that could respond to their environment with very little external energy.
Plasmonic coating on bacterial surfaces paves the way for rapid sepsis diagnosis
Researchers have developed a label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) analysis technology that rapidly detects extremely low concentrations of viable bacteria by directly growing plasmonic metal nanostructures on and around bacterial cells.
Scientists propose national microbiome plan to prevent chronic disease
Leading microbiome researchers are calling for a global ‘moonshot’ to determine how the microbes living in and on our bodies contribute to chronic disease. The proposed agenda would combine long-term human studies, clinical trials, global research standards and public education to move the field from promising associations towards proven causes and treatments.
Belgium’s top science foundation honors 'Virus Hunter'
’Virus Hunter’ Ken Stedman has been named an International Collen-Francqui Professor for the 2026-27 academic year, an honor the Francqui Foundation reserves for scientists it considers among the best in their field.
FAU receives $1.3M NOAA grant to address harmful algal blooms
A new $1.3 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science will enable researchers to investigate the environmental and biological mechanisms that drive harmful algal blooms in subtropical estuaries.