All pollution articles
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NewsMicrobes used to mine magnesium from waste heaps
Researchers have pioneered a microbially driven process that utilises low-value waste products, such as magnesium mine waste and sulfur from desulfurisation plants, to leach the wastes and generate a stream of solubilised magnesium.
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NewsMicrobes in Brooklyn Superfund site teach lessons on fighting industrial pollution
Researchers discover unprecedented pollution-fighting genetic adaptations in tiny organisms inhabiting Brooklyn’s highly contaminated Gowanus Canal, revealing a potential new approach for cleaning contaminated waters and recovering valuable resources.
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NewsScientists blame climate change for spread of infectious diseases and unleashing of ice-locked microbes in Arctic
Climate change is creating new pathways for the spread of infectious diseases like brucellosis, tularemia, or E. coli in the Arctic, according to a broad international consortium of scientists.
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NewsBacteria and minerals work together to detoxify arsenic in contaminated soils
New research shows that the interaction between arsenic-oxidizing bacteria and goethite, a common Fe mineral, significantly accelerates the conversion of arsenic from its highly toxic form, arsenite [As(III)], into the less harmful arsenate [As(V)].
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NewsToxic chemical pollutants detected in lichens and mosses in the Irati forest
Scientists used a species of lichen (Parmelia sulcata) and a species of moss (Hypnum cupressiforme) from Irati Forest as sentinels or biomonitors to determine the organic pollution in the atmosphere.
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NewsA Sustainable Development Goal for space?
Scientists have called for the designation of a new United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) with the aim to conserve and sustainably use Earth’s orbit, and prevent the accumulation of space junk.
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NewsTire-wear particles disrupt gut-liver function in aquatic organisms
Researchers have uncovered the adverse health effects of tire-wear particles (TWPs) on aquatic organisms. The study focused on the hepatotoxicity of TWP leachates, revealing significant impacts on the gut-liver axis and oxidative stress levels in test organisms.
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NewsLoss of ‘nitrogen fixers’ threatens biodiversity and ecosystems
A new study reveals that increased nitrogen deposition from human activity is reducing the diversity and evolutionary distinctiveness of nitrogen-fixing plants, leading to simplified plant communities with fewer species of nitrogen fixers.
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FeaturesMetabolomics: decoding the chemical language of life
Imagine if we could explore the entire molecular universe in our bodies, interpreting the intricate chemical changes related to health and disease at its most fundamental level.
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NewsResearchers discover an effective and environment-friendly disinfectant
Researchers have discovered a promising alternative to chloroxylenol that works more effectively in combating certain common bacteria, fungi and viruses, and can be rapidly degraded and detoxified in receiving waters.
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NewsScientists probe ‘superpower’ that allows soil bacteria to protect rice roots from pollution
Scientists have lifted the lid on how changes in cell surface hydrophobicity of a strain of soil bacterium may help to stave off heavy metal-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution from entering rice plant roots.
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NewsBiosurfactants may offer green solution for tackling oil spills
Researchers investigating whether biosurfactants could increase microbiological oil degradation in North Sea seawater say there is potential for a more effective and environmentally friendly oil spill response.
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CareersWorld Youth Skills Day 2023 - the inspirational young scientists who are going places
We’re celebrating the upcoming generation of young microbiologists on World Youth Skills Day 2023 by highlighting some of the inspirational student winners of the Grand Awards of Regeneron ISEF 2023.
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NewsPlanting choices nurture microbes that break down petroleum contamination
Planting grasses or adding fertilizer, or a combination of both, to a contaminated site has surprisingly persistent effects on the microbes associated with local vegetation, a study has found.
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NewsTwo biological cleaners break down ‘forever chemicals’
Scientists have identified two species of bacteria found in soil that break down a class of stubborn ’forever chemicals’, giving hope for low-cost biological cleanup of industrial pollutants.
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NewsDecades of conflict in Iraq fuel ‘catastrophic’ rise in antimicrobial resistance
Decades of wars and conflict in Iraq have led to a “catastrophic” rise in antimicrobial resistance in the country, with serious implications for the entire region and the world, international experts have warned.
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NewsBiorefinery uses microbial fuel cell to upcycle resistant plant waste
Researchers have developed a sustainable, inexpensive two-step process that can upcycle organic carbon waste - including lignin - transforming it into antioxidant flavonoids for nutrition and medicine. .By processing waste through a microbe-driven biorefinery, the researchers turned lignin into carbon sources that could be used in high-value, plant-derived pharmaceuticals and ...
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NewsNovel strain of Shigella in gut of bottom-dwelling fish beats off competition with help of T2SS
A novel strain of Shigella isolated from the gut of a bottom-dwelling fish exposed to high loads of heavy metals and antibiotics has been found to have the first Type 2 secretion system fully documented in the bacterium.
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NewsPlankton may reveal ocean history - and even predict trends in chronic human illness
Tapping an almost century-long survey, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers say marine plankton may offer way to monitor historical marine pollution trends; and perhaps be used to predict trends in childhood and adult chronic illnesses.
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NewsCommon fungus eradicates toxic mercury from soil and water
Researchers have found that the fungus Metarhizium robertsii removes mercury from the soil around plant roots, and from fresh and saltwater, and have genetically engineered the fungus to amplify its mercury detoxifying effects.