All Research News articles – Page 34
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NewsSlime mold metabolites are a promising, eco-friendly repellent of root-knot nematodes
A team of researchers has discovered 14 compounds secreted by slime molds that repel root-knot nematodes (RKNs) - worm-like parasites of the genus Meloidogyne - and could be the source of new, non-toxic anti-RKN pesticides.
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NewsRare bacterium ‘plays dead’ to evade detection in NASA clean rooms
A rare novel bacterium found in an unexpected environment may be evading detection by “playing dead”. Discovered in NASA spacecraft assembly clean rooms, Tersicoccus phoenicis could have major implications for planetary protection and clean room sterilization practices.
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NewsScientists discover regulatory pathway behind cyanobacteria’s carbon-fixing factories
A new study illuminates a key regulatory pathway between cyanobacteria’s light-harvesting systems and the inner compartments where carbon fixation happens, helping us to understand how cyanobacteria balance their energy demands.
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NewsLittle-known strep bacteria behind growing number of severe infections
An under-recognised strep bacterium is causing a growing number of serious infections in Australia, with First Nations Australians disproportionately affected, according to new research.
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NewsWastewater plants produce twice as much greenhouse gases as officially estimated
Wastewater plants emit about twice as much greenhouse gas as previously believed, according to a new study. Collectively sewer plants produced 1.9 times the nitrous oxide gas estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency and 2.4 times the methane.
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NewsResearch team with the latest Nobel Prize laureate reveals regulatory immune cell precursors disrupted in severe COVID-19
A research team joined by Professor Shimon Sakaguchi – the latest Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine – has identified a subset of immune cells called precursor T follicular regulatory cells (preTfr) that play a critical role in preventing autoantibody production.
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News1,000-year-old gut microbiome revealed for young man who lived in pre-Hispanic Mexico
Analysis of preserved feces and intestinal tissue has revealed specific types of bacteria that were present in the microbiome of a young adult man who lived in Mexico about 1,000 years ago, prior to Spanish colonization.
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NewsDeadwood-decomposing fungi feed germinating orchids
Deadwood-decomposing fungi feed germinating orchids, providing the carbon their tiny seeds don’t have. The finding not only closes a gap in our understanding of wild orchid ecology but also uncovers an important carbon flux in the ecosystem.
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NewsMicrobiome and nanoparticle discoveries hold promise for treating gut pain
In an effort to develop targeted treatments for gut pain, scientists have discovered a new enzyme in gut bacteria and are using nanoparticles to deliver drugs inside cells. PAR2, a receptor involved in pain signaling, is activated by certain enzymes called proteases.
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NewsResearchers’ call: Consider the risk of wildlife-spread diseases during ecosystem restoration
Researchers are urging adaptive ecosystem restoration, which implements key considerations for minimizing the zoonotic disease risk otherwise associated with restorations. A new study is providing practical guidance for restoration project stakeholders.
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NewsChanges in gut microbiota influence which patients get AIG-related neuroendocrine tumors
Researchers have discovered how the balance of bacteria in the stomach affects the growth of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). By identifying the specific bacteria involved and the biochemical reactions that cause tumor growth, they hope to detect which patients are most likely to develop cancer.
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NewsResearchers find key to stopping deadly infection
New research has identified a key step that enables rotavirus to infect cells. The researchers found that disabling the process in tissue culture and in mice prevented infection.
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NewsNew vaccine shows promise against typhoid and invasive salmonella in first human trial
Researchers have completed a successful Phase 1 clinical trial of a novel vaccine designed to protect against both typhoid fever and invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella–two major causes of illness and death among children in sub-Saharan Africa.
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NewsCould slime mold microbes be a source of potent antimicrobials?
The cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum is a soil microbe that produces diverse natural products with potential antibiotic activity. In this study, researchers optimized lab culture conditions of Dictyostelium cells to boost the levels of low-abundance chlorinated compounds and to characterize their antimicrobial properties.
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NewsDo imported cut flowers spread livestock viruses?
A study investigated whether Culicoides biting midges are being accidentally exported from Africa to Europe in shipments of cut flowers. Although researchers did detect small numbers of these insects near and inside greenhouses on a Kenyan flower farm, they found none in packaging or transport areas.
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NewsNew study reveals where HIV hides in different parts of the body
A new study reveals that HIV cloaks itself in the DNA of infected cells using unique DNA patterns in the brain, blood and parts of the digestive tract. For example, in the brain, the virus avoids genes and hides in less active parts of the DNA.
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NewsYeast proteins reveal the secrets of drought resistance
A new study in Cell Systems helps explain how organisms can come back from desiccation (the removal of water or moisture) while others fail by looking at the cell’s proteins. In the first survey of its kind, a team of researchers profiled thousands of proteins at once for their ability to survive dehydration and rehydration.
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NewsScientists blaze new path to fighting viral diseases
Scientists have identified a potential new drug against the virus that causes COVID-19 - and devised a powerful new platform for finding medicines to fight many types of infectious diseases. Compound 6, led SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins to misfold, malfunction, and ultimately, be destroyed and removed by cells, in lab tests.
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NewsBiodegradable microplastics rewire carbon storage in farm fields
A pioneering two-year field study has revealed that biodegradable microplastics, often hailed as eco-friendly alternatives to conventional plastics, are quietly reshaping the chemistry of farmland soils in unexpected and complex ways. They attracted a special group of microbes known as K-strategists—slow-growing, efficient decomposers.
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News‘Good’ gut bacteria boost placenta for healthier pregnancy
Research has found the first clear evidence that the ‘good’ gut bacteria Bifidobacterium breve in pregnant mothers regulates the placenta’s production of hormones critical for a healthy pregnancy. Pregnant mice without Bifidobacterium breve in their gut had a higher rate of complications, and increased fetal loss.