All Opinion articles
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OpinionSustainability starts at the bench: microbiologists leading by example
The scale of the environmental crisis demands that sustainability move from the margins to the centre of every discipline.
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OpinionUnderstanding the gut microbiome: are we missing essential information?
Undoubtedly, the gut microbiome is key to understanding the impact of diets and lifestyles on health. However, despite decades of scientific advancements, the connection between gut microbiome shifts and perceived health benefits remains unclear.
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OpinionSafety and nutritional claims for raw milk
Robert F Kennedy Jr. famously advocates drinking raw milk and promotes its benefits. But how safe is unpasteurised milk? Nicola Holden and Gil Domingue, who sit on Applied Microbiology International’s Food Security Scientific Advisory Group, take a deep dive into the science.
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OpinionScience and the humanities in the crosshairs
The German Research Foundation (DFG) President Professor Dr Katja Becker issued a stark warning about the “war on science” and the need for solidarity at the organisation’s annual meeting in July. The Microbiologist reports her speech in full.
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OpinionClean data, clear insights: making AI work for microbiology
We are currently living through a period of AI boom. But as the AI fatigue starts settling in, should microbiologists be racing to embed AI into every pipeline?
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OpinionDiet, microbiome, and health: epiphenomenon or causal connection?
The gut microbiome is considered a key determinant in human health. Yet, as attention and claims have grown, so has the gap between evidence and interpretation. How much does diet really influence the microbiome?
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OpinionIt’s game over for dangerous Gain of Function research
The Trump adminstration has signed an Executive Order halting federal gain of function research on microbes - but does it throw the baby out with the bathwater? Virologist Simon Wain-Hobson, Emeritus Professor with the Pasteur Institute, Paris, gives his take.
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OpinionThe problem of microplastics in the oceans: it’s time for effective solutions
Francielly Bruna Neto Francisco and Ricardo Henrique Krüger, from the University of Brasília (UNB), warn that we urgently need technologies that will effectively eliminate partially or nonbiodegradable polymers from the marine environment.
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OpinionAirport travel and your footwear as a pathogen transmission vector – should you be concerned
Should we be seriously concerned about the role of footwear in pathogen transmission, and what steps can we take to minimize potential risks?
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OpinionReproductive biology though the lens of the microbiome
Madangchanok Imchen and Seth R. Bordenstein from the One Health Microbiome Center - winner of AMI’s WH Pierce Prize 2024 - explore the potential of the reproductive microbiome, particularly the fascinating Wolbachia, to counter global disease threats.
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OpinionAntimicrobials for an Antimicrobial Resistant World
The fight against AMR will require innovation, collaboration, and a fundamental shift in perspective – but it’s a fight we can win.
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OpinionSharing microbial sequence-based data: The way forward
Public sector data associated with health are a highly valuable resource, yet in practice data-sharing poses multiple challenges. Dr Nicola Holden, from AMI’s One Health Scientific Advisory Group, explores the murky morass of big data.
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OpinionCOP29: Doomism is turning audiences off climate action - so let’s share the success stories
With governments under pressure to deliver on Net Zero targets, doomism in climate communication threatens to backfire and deter audiences from taking action. But microbiology’s stories of hope could be the inspiration we need.
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OpinionHow AI-designed probiotics can help aquaculture feed Humanity – the right way
Aquaculture is essential for meeting the growing global demand for fish. But in order to expand fish farming in a sustainable manner, innovative efforts are crucial.
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OpinionSwimming upstream: the microbial marathon in salmon farming
Is it acceptable to prioritize production over welfare?
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OpinionFuture Feedstocks: Unlocking the Potential of Biofuels
The recent release of the marine fuel specification standard will play a key role in determining the future of biofuel feedstocks – ultimately deciding the winners and losers in this evolving market.
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OpinionDoes getting help for gut health have to be a waiting game?
Gut health issues impact millions of people every day, but how useful are the current UK government measures in improving patient outcomes?
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OpinionWheat straw and muncipal waste - how next generation biofuels can save the world
With greenhouse gas emissions peaking, the search for renewables is intensifying. AMI Healthy Land Scientific Advisory Group member Juan Luis Ramos and his colleagues Estrella Duque and Patricia Godoy take a look at the future of biofuels.
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OpinionUnderstanding plant-microbe interactions to improve the cultivation of biofuels
AMI Global Ambassador Ashley Shade and colleagues Nicole Geerdes and Adina Howe examine how plant-associated microbes can be leveraged to support crops grown on marginal lands for use as biofuel feedstocks.
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OpinionOnce-subtropical Vibrio infections on the move along coastlines
As new stretches of coastline become vulnerable to potential Vibrio outbreaks in a warming aquatic environment, Applied Microbiology International member Elizabeth Archer examines how human health is inextricably linked with ocean health.