All Research News articles – Page 65
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NewsHow one flu virus can hamper the immune response to another
Prior exposure to one strain of influenza virus may weaken children’s ability to mount an effective antibody response against their subsequent exposure to a different flu strain, according to a study.
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NewsThe gut can drive age-associated memory loss
Scientists have discovered that the aging gastrointestinal tract produces specific molecules that blunt the activity of a key gut-brain neuronal pathway, leading to age-related cognitive decline in mice.
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NewsResearch guides response to unprecedented 2023 E. coli outbreak affecting Calgary kids
Protocols developed by scientists informed care when hundreds of children were sick due to a severe strain of E. coli. Overall, 40 children were hospitalized, 21 developed HUS and nine required dialysis. The number of children who developed HUS was less than half of what would typically occur in an outbreak of this size.
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NewsSevere COVID-19 and flu facilitate lung cancer months or years later, new research shows
Severe COVID-19 and influenza infections prime the lungs for cancer and can accelerate the disease’s development, but vaccination heads off those harmful effects, new research indicates.
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NewsScientists design metal-enhanced biochar to boost clean hydrogen production from agricultural waste
A new study reports that specially engineered biochar made from agricultural waste could significantly increase biohydrogen production by improving the way microbes transfer electrons during fermentation.
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NewsResearchers uncover how bacteria suppress immune defences in stubborn wound infections
A common bacterium can suppress the body’s early warning system in wounds, causing infections to persist and create an environment that allows other bacteria to take hold. Enterococcus faecalis releases large amounts of lactic acid in the wound, which lowers pH, weakens immune cells and prevents them from fighting an infection.
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NewsIsland birds reveal surprising link between immunity and gut bacteria
Scientists have uncovered a hidden link between gut health and the immune system, all thanks to a tiny island bird. They collected the poo of the Seychelles warbler to analyse their gut bacteria – and found that their immune genes influence which gut microbes thrive.
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NewsSeaweed has the potential to create a shield to block norovirus infection
Seaweed has certain properties which have the ability to create a shield within the human body, effectively blocking norovirus infection. Fucoidan, from brown seaweed, showed the strongest and most consistent blocking activity against two major norovirus strains, GII.4 and GII.17.
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NewsAntibiotics can affect the gut microbiome for several years
Researchers have found strong links between a person’s history of antibiotic use and the composition of their gut microbiome, including the diversity of bacterial species.
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NewsSpecific gut bacteria species linked to muscle strength
A species of gut bacteria called Roseburia inulinivorans is specifically associated with human muscle strength and improved muscular performance in mice, finds new research. R inulinivorans changes certain metabolic processes in muscle, and converts muscle fibres to ‘fast-twitch’ (type II).
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NewsNew African species confirms evolutionary origin of magic mushrooms
A long-standing debate about the evolutionary origin of the world’s most widely cultivated ’magic mushroom’ – Psilocybe cubensis – may now have been settled. Scientists describe the discovery of a new species of magic mushroom from the grasslands of South Africa and Zimbabwe.
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NewsBuilding protection against infectious diseases with nanostructured vaccines
Researchers have leveraged a recently developed highly versatile DNA origami nanotechnology that is both vaccine and adjuvant, named DoriVac, as an alternative to current vaccine platforms.
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NewsGut bacteria drive process that protects colon tissue
Researchers have shown that the identity of distinct regions of the colon are regulated by the gut microbiome. They identified nicotinic acid, a molecule produced by certain bacteria in the gut microbiome, as a main driver of these regional differences in the colon’s sections.
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NewsResearchers uncover hidden genetic world in Antarctic Waters
Researchers have completed the most comprehensive survey to date of DNA associated with Southern Ocean microbes, paving the way for a better understanding of their role in climate change. At least a third of the genes identified are missing from existing marine gene catalogs.
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NewsMachine learning reveals when biochar helps or harms soil life
Researchers have shown that biochar can either help or harm soil organisms depending on how it is produced and applied. The research analyzed results from dozens of previous experiments to better understand how biochar affects plants, microbes, and soil animals.
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NewsNew study finds deep ocean microbes already prepared to tackle climate change
A new study demonstrates that the microbe Nitrosopumilus maritimus may already be adapting well to warmer, nutrient-poor waters. Researchers predict that these adaptable iron-dependent ammonia-oxidizing archaea will play an important role in reshaping ocean-nutrient distribution in a changing climate.
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NewsAntibiotic resistance can vary depending on where the bacteria live
Antibiotic susceptibility in resistant bacteria is not static. New research shows that bacteria harbouring resistance genes may respond differently to antibiotics if they are tested under conditions other than those used in standard laboratory assays.
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NewsScientists trace crop viruses back to the last Ice Age
Long before humans cultivated crops or sailed between continents, a group of plant viruses was already evolving among wild plants in Eurasia. Tthe ancestors of modern tymoviruses likely emerged before the last Ice Age, a new study reveals.
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NewsStay or stray? Scientists discover why some gut microbes persist after fecal transplants
Scientists have identified why some gut microbes successfully stay in the gut after faecal transplants, whilst others are much more transient. They tracked key genetic features of gut bacteria in 86 healthy adults over the course of a year.
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NewsStudy investigates how microbes use ancient carbon
Researchers investigated a hydrothermal vent system at a depth of about ten meters off the coast of Kueishantao island in Taiwan. They tracked the path of this carbon in the surrounding sea and its uptake by microorganisms and other living things.