All Research News articles – Page 13
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NewsWarmer Nordic springs double the incidence of avian malaria
A unique long-term study, in which biological samples were collected from the same population of blue tits over a 30-year period, shows that rising spring temperatures have doubled the incidence of avian malaria in southern Sweden.
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NewsStudy identifies viral combinations that heighten risk of severe respiratory illnesses in infants
A new study has revealed that, while a wide range of viruses can cause lower respiratory tract illnesses (LRIs) in infants, certain viruses and viral combinations dramatically increase the risk of severe disease.
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NewsHow HIV’s shape-shifting protein reveals clues for smarter drug design
Researchers determined the structure of HIV protein integrase during newly discovered function, enabling the development of better HIV therapeutics.
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NewsMalaria risk in the Amazon is higher in regions with intermediate forest degradation
Research shows that areas with 50% deforestation near residential areas or fragmented vegetation allow greater contact between mosquitoes and humans. The study helps us understand the link between forest destruction and the spread of the disease.
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NewsRhizosphere metabolites influence the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in soil-plant systems
A study sheds new light on the complex mechanisms by which plants and their associated microorganisms contribute to the migration of ARGs through the environment, offering important implications for food safety and public health.
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NewsReview explores roles, mechanisms and applications of intra-tumoral microbiota in cancers
A recent review provides an overview of the hallmarks, roles, molecular mechanisms, and clinical applications of intra-tumoral microbiota in multiple human cancers.
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NewsHorizon Awards 2025: Dr Manu De Rycker named as winner of WH Pierce Prize
Dr Manu De Rycker, a Principal Investigator at the University of Dundee, has been named as the newest winner of the WH Pierce Global Impact in Microbiology Prize.
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NewsDNA from Napoleon’s 1812 army identifies the pathogens likely responsible for the army’s demise during their retreat from Russia
Microbial paleogenomicists extracted DNA from the teeth of soldiers from Napoleon’s ill-fated invasion of the Russian Empire and found no trace of typhus. Instead, they identified two pathogens known to cause enteric fever and relapsing fever.
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NewsProtection against winter vomiting bug spread with arrival of agriculture
Norovirus clears up after a couple of days, but the protection it provides is short-lived, meaning that the same person can fall repeatedly sick in a short space of time. But some people cannot succumb to the virus, thanks to a particular gene variant whose historical spread has now been traced.
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NewsTiny ocean organisms missing from climate models may hold the key to Earth’s carbon future
The ocean’s smallest engineers, calcifying plankton, quietly regulate the Earth’s thermostat by capturing and cycling carbon. However, a new review finds that these organisms are oversimplified in the climate models used to predict our planet’s future.
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NewsStudy uncovers origins of urban human-biting mosquito, shedding light on uptick in West Nile virus spillover from birds to humans
The research disproves the theory that the mosquito evolved in the London underground by dating the mosquito’s origin back over 1,000 years and identifies the genetic links between bird-biting and human-biting mosquitoes, key to West Nile transmission.
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NewsFunctional extinction of Florida’s reef-building corals following the 2023 marine heatwave
The record-breaking 2023 marine heatwave has killed nearly all of Florida’s critically endangered Acropora coral colonies, marking the species’ functional extinction in Florida’s Coral Reef (FCR), researchers report.
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NewsNearly 1 in 5 urinary tract infections linked to contaminated meat
A new study estimates that nearly one in five urinary tract infections in Southern California may be caused by E. coli strains transmitted through contaminated meat – and people living in low-income neighborhoods are at the greatest risk.
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NewsStudy links multiple sclerosis with distinct oral microbiome
Researchers have produced the most comprehensive genetic and metabolic analysis to date of the oral microbiome associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). They found that people with MS have a distinct oral microbiome compared to healthy individuals.
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NewsFeeding off spent battery waste, a novel bacterium signals a new method for self-sufficient battery recycling
A unique bacterium that thrives in highly acidic environments feeds on spent battery “waste”, making it a promising new method for self-sufficient battery recycling. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (Atf) has a natural metabolic cycle that produces protons capable of leaching electrode materials from spent batteries.
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NewsFungi paved the way for life on land hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought
After reviewing the evolutionary timeline of fungi, scientists have determined that their origin dates back to between 900 million and 1.4 billion years ago. This means that fungi had already been living on Earth hundreds of millions of years before plants took root on our planet.
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NewsNew compound cuts off protein supply to parasites
There is an urgent need for new active ingredients that are capable of circumventing existing resistances in malaria. Researchers have now identified a new drug candidate, ’Substance 31’, which could enable the development of a new malaria drug.
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NewsAfter injuries, carpenter ants use amputation to stop potential infections from spreading
Carpenter ants are not squeamish when it comes to caring for the wounded. To minimise the risk of infection, the insects immediately amputate injured legs – thereby more than doubling their survival rate.
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NewsUnderwater thermal vents may have given rise to the first molecular precursors of life
A new study shows that, without the presence of enzymes, natural gradients of pH, redox potential, and temperature present in underwater hydrothermal vents could have promoted the reduction of carbon dioxide to formic acid and the subsequent formation of acetic acid.
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NewsDangerous E. coli strain blocks gut’s defense mechanism to spread infection
When harmful bacteria invade through the digestive tract, gut cells usually fight back by pushing infected cells out of the body to stop the infection from spreading. Scientists have discovered that a dangerous strain of E. coli can block gut this defense, allowing the bacteria to spread more easily.