All Research News articles
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NewsGene-regulatory pathway helps T cells tolerate gut bacteria and prevent inflammation
The immune system somehow tolerates trillions of gut bacteria without constantly attacking them. Researchers have now identified a gene-regulatory pathway that helps regulatory T cells maintain this peace, with defects in the pathway triggering severe inflammation and autoimmunity in mice.
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NewsMicrobes could become factories for the next generation of food ingredients
Precision fermentation is moving beyond niche ingredients towards a broader role in food production, from egg-white substitutes to proteins that mimic meat. Researchers argue that scaling the technology across both high-value and everyday ingredients could help make food production more sustainable and resilient.
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NewsAvian flu could push vulnerable vulture populations into further decline
H5N1 avian influenza is emerging as a serious threat to already vulnerable vulture populations, with deaths reported across the Americas and Europe. Researchers warn that losing these scavengers could also weaken a natural barrier against disease by allowing infected carcasses and pathogens to persist for longer.
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NewsMyxobacteria reveal hidden chemistry with anticancer potential
Researchers have uncovered a previously hidden family of natural products made by soil-dwelling myxobacteria and traced how the molecules are assembled. Follow-up work showed that one of these compounds binds to AKR1C3, a human protein linked to several cancers, highlighting the drug-discovery potential of previously silent microbial genes.
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NewsMarine compound shows promise against deadly brain-eating amoeba
A compound isolated from a marine bacterium may offer a faster way to attack Naegleria fowleri, the amoeba responsible for one of the deadliest known brain infections. In laboratory tests, rutamycin B reached full potency within four hours and was far more toxic to the parasite than to human cells.
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NewsLeaf spectra reveal hidden nitrogen-fixing nodules in soybean roots
Soybean roots may no longer need to be dug up to reveal how well they are forming nitrogen-fixing nodules. Researchers have shown that hyperspectral signals from leaves can predict below-ground nodule traits, offering a non-destructive way to track plant–microbe partnerships under drought and salt stress.
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NewsSaturn’s icy moon may be more habitable than expected
Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus may be more hospitable to microbial life than previously thought. Laboratory experiments show that methane-producing archaea can survive in conditions designed to mimic its alkaline subsurface ocean, using hydrogen from water-rock reactions and scavenging scarce carbon dioxide.
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NewsAncient 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.
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NewsGut 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.
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NewsDrug-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.
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NewsHow 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.
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NewsReview 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.
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NewsMigratory birds spread avian influenza to Greenland’s polar bears
Migrating birds that breed in the Arctic are spreading avian influenza to polar bears in eastern Greenland, according to a new study that found evidence of infections in bear blood samples acquired from Greenland Inuit subsistence hunters.
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NewsScientists reveal how deadly Andes hantavirus attaches to human cells
Earlier this year, an outbreak of Andes hantavirus on a cruise ship, which killed three passengers and sickened 13, highlighted the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the virus. Scientists now show how the virus recognizes its target on a human cell, a finding that could lead to effective therapies against Andes virus and other hantaviruses.
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NewsCould climate change have helped Candida auris become a global pathogen?
How did Candida auris become a global health threat so quickly? A new review suggests climate change may be one factor, with rising environmental temperatures potentially favouring fungi that can tolerate the heat of the human body, although researchers stress that the link has not yet been proven.
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NewsHow clinicians can manage recurrent catheter bloodstream infections
Long-term intravenous catheters can be essential for treatment, but they also create a persistent risk of serious bloodstream infections. A new clinical review outlines how doctors can diagnose, treat and prevent recurrent infections while preserving vital vascular access whenever it is safe to do so.
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NewsNew dosing data expands HIV treatment options for newborns
Newborns with HIV can now be treated with dolutegravir from the first days of life. An international clinical study identified a safe dosing regimen that produced drug levels comparable to those seen in older children and adults, helping support the FDA’s expanded approval.
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NewsNeedle-free approach could offer a new way to deliver mRNA vaccines
A needle-free mRNA vaccine delivered through the skin protected mice against both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza while causing less inflammation than lipid-based formulations. The approach uses a high-pressure liquid jet and a combination of two immune-boosting adjuvants to strengthen protection without relying on conventional mRNA carriers.
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NewsScientists discover migration-mediated mechanism enabling bacteria-virus coexistence
A study shows how collective movement enables viruses to persist with migrating bacterial colonies while minimizing the risk of either complete viral takeover or bacterial escape.
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NewsReindeer grazing reshapes the hidden roots of northern forests
Reindeer grazing is reshaping northern pine forests beneath the surface as well as above it. Researchers found nearly 30% less shallow-root biomass in grazed forests, alongside shorter, thicker and less-branched roots, changes that could alter nutrient uptake, soil microbial communities and the way carbon moves through these ecosystems.