Linda Stewart
News and Current Affairs Editor
Linda studied Pure & Applied Biology BA at St Anne’s College, Oxford, before completing an MSc in Conservation at UCL. After two years in a Water Service lab in Northern Ireland, she switched to a career in newspaper journalism, working as a general reporter at the Belfast Telegraph before becoming the regional daily’s first Environment Correspondent from 2008 until 2016. She was named Environment Correspondent of the Year 2011 and Feature Journalist of the Year in 2014 at the NI Media Awards. After serving as editor on a number of retail sector magazines, she is enjoying turning her journalism skills to delivering fresh and fascinating scientific news content in The Microbiologist.
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CareersAMI prizewinner Raquel Peixoto reveals how coral symbionts are key to tolerating rising temperatures
Marking World Coral Reef Day on June 1, AMI’s Rachel Carson Prize winner Professor Raquel Peixoto reveals how the ability of corals to tolerate rising temperatures is determined by the type of microorganisms that live inside them.
NewsResearchers discover unusual new marine flagellate
A newly discovered species of unicellular organism found in seawater belongs to the protist group Endomyxa and is notable for possessing a persistent flagellum — the first recorded instance of such a flagellate within this group.
NewsEarlier measles vaccine could help curb global outbreak
The global measles outbreak must trigger an urgent debate into whether a vaccine should be recommended earlier to better protect against the highly contagious disease during infancy, a new review states.
NewsNew microscope harnesses bioluminescence to bring glowing cells into focus
Researchers have developed a new microscope that significantly improves how bioluminescent signals in living cells can be observed. The system, known as QIScope, is built around a highly sensitive camera technology capable of detecting extremely low levels of light.
NewsCotton virus circulated undetected in US fields for nearly 20 years, study finds
A virus responsible for damaging cotton crops has been lurking in U.S. fields for nearly 20 years – undetected. Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV), thought to be a recent arrival, was infecting plants in cotton-growing states as early as 2006.
NewsHIV discovery could open door to long-sought cure
Scientists have uncovered a key reason why HIV remains so difficult to cure: Their research shows that small changes in the virus affect how quickly or slowly it replicates, and how easily or stubbornly it can reawaken from hiding.
NewsRock record reveals oxygenation of ocean may have happened earlier than we thought
Researchers uncover evidence that oxygenation in the ocean—crucial for life as we know it—may have occurred earlier than previously thought, offering new insights into the evolution of our planet.
NewsResearchers reveal the cellular network behind oral tolerance
A new study has resolved a long-standing paradox surrounding oral tolerance and revealed the cellular network responsible. These findings may clarify this network’s malfunctions, which underlie food allergies and sensitivities and disorders such as celiac disease.
NewsNew diagnostic tool uses bioluminescence to detect viruses
Researchers are shining a powerful new light into the viral darkness with the development of Luminescence CAscade-based Sensor (LUCAS), a rapid, portable, highly-sensitive diagnostic tool for processing complex biological samples.
NewsUncovered: A long-lasting history of leprosy in the Americas
A new study challenges the view that leprosy is a disease that was introduced into the Americas during European colonization. A strain of leprosy-causing mycobacterium, Mycobacterium lepromatosis, infected humans in the Americas before European contact.
NewsHow the plague bacillus became less virulent, prolonging the duration of two major pandemics
Scientists have discovered that the evolution of a gene in the bacterium that causes bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis, may have prolonged the duration of two major pandemics. Modifying the copy number of a specific virulence gene increases the length of infection.
NewsResearchers engineer a herpes virus to turn on T cells for immunotherapy
Researchers have identified herpes virus saimiri, which infects the T cells of squirrel monkeys, as a source of proteins that activate pathways in T cells that are needed to promote T cell survival - a promising tool in the fight against cancer.
NewsGut fungi breakthrough: Novel fungus offers hope for metabolic diseases
Scientists have unveiled a gut fungus that could transform treatment for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). The fungus produces a compound that blocks CerS6, an enzyme responsible for producing ceramides, fat molecules linked to metabolic disorders.
NewsGut bacteria may hold key to unlocking better cancer treatment
Scientists have discovered a range of microbial ‘biomarkers’ that could help to improve detection and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases (GIDs) such as gastric cancer (GC), colorectal cancer (CRC), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
NewsYeast produces human DNase1 for the first time
The protein DNase1 is used to treat cystic fibrosis but it takes considerable effort and cost to produce it in immortalized hamster cells. Researchers have now produced it in yeast cells for the first time.
NewsIntestinal bacteria influence aging of blood vessels
Researchers have shown for the first time that intestinal bacteria and their metabolites can accelerate the ageing of blood vessels and trigger cardiovascular disease.
NewsYeast-driven and bioimpedance-sensitive biohybrid soft robots
By synergizing bioinspired chemical modifications with microstructural topology, scientists developed a self-healing bioadhesive interface that eliminates reliance on external stimuli, overcoming the physiological incompatibility of traditional rigid encapsulation materials.
NewsBiologist examines growth patterns in bacteria to help develop more targeted, effective antibiotics
Among the new investigative projects at the University of Texas at Arlington is one headed by Dr. Cara Boutte, who is studying how certain bacteria grow by examining how they build their cell walls, an effort that could lead to the development of more effective antibiotics.
NewsMicrobial proteins reveal chemical signatures of body sites and inflammation
A new study shows that protein sequences associated with microbial communities in the human gut have uniquely low stoichiometric water content and undergo counterintuitive chemical shifts toward chemically reduced states during inflammation.
NewsTrees vs. disease: Tree cover reduces mosquito-borne health risk
A new study shows that in Costa Rica, even modest patches of tree cover can reduce the presence of invasive mosquito species known to transmit diseases like dengue fever.