Clean water
UNICEF estimates that over 2.2 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water. Micro-organisms are responsible for a host of waterborne diseases, but simultaneously offer solutions in purifying water and improving sanitation. Biofertilizers offer promising solutions for reduced nutrient runoff and wastewater recycling. As well as applying microbes to combat the problem, applied microbiologists can use their knowledge of health and disease to reduce cases of waterborne disease.
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Pine bark removes pharmaceutical residues from wastewater – an affordable way to keep antibiotics out of nature
Researchers have developed a pine‑bark–based water‑treatment medium that efficiently removes antibiotics as well as residues of blood‑pressure and antidepressant medicines from wastewater treatment plant effluent.
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NewsFrom small experiments to big production: how constant impeller tip speed helps scale-up
Rhamnolipids (RL) are widely used in areas such as oil recovery and bioremediation, but their industrial production has long faced key challenges in the scale-up stage, including poor scalability and reproducibility.
NewsBacterial energy model reveals how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) spreads in environment
Researchers analyzed how bacteria in aquatic environments distribute energy across diverse functions such as growth, biofilm formation, conjugative transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes and heavy‑metal tolerance, to clarify bacterial energy investment strategies.
NewsEarly intervention of cyanobacterial risks starting from the genome?
A new study proposes using “~3 Mbp” as a threshold to establish a genome size-oriented proxy indicator for cyanobacterial risk early warning.
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Commercial water dispenser machines may contain more contamination than tap water
Water dispenser machines in commercial spaces may contain higher levels of microbial contamination if they aren’t cleaned regularly compared to the tap water sources supplying them that contain residual chlorine, according to a new study.
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NewsA new study reveals how cholera virulence is activated
A new study provides a long-sought structural explanation of the regulatory cascade that allows Vibrio cholerae to colonize the human gut and produce the cholera toxin that causes life-threatening diarrhea.
NewsBiodegradable and conventional plastics shape very different antibiotic resistance risks in river microbiomes
Biodegradable plastics are not always safer for rivers and oceans, according to a new study that tracked how different plastics change the risk of antibiotic resistant bacteria over time in a real river.
NewsMelting glaciers may release hidden antibiotic resistance into vital water sources
Researchers report that glaciers act as long-term reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes. Once released by glacier melt, these genes can enter rivers, lakes, and ecosystems that supply drinking water and support wildlife in polar and high-altitude regions.
NewsNew research uncovers mechanics behind the skillful movement of shelled amoeba
Researchers have characterized the unique mechanics that enable Arcella, a shelled, single-celled amoeba, to move skillfully across different surfaces. Their findings have shed light on how this tiny microorganism maintains mechanical balance during movement.
NewsA high-protein diet can defeat cholera infection
A new study has found that diets high in casein, the main protein in milk and cheese, as well as wheat gluten, could make a dramatic difference in the amount of cholera bacteria able to infect the gut.
NewsRising temperatures reshape microbial carbon cycling during animal carcass decomposition in water
Using metagenomic sequencing across a realistic temperature gradient, researchers show that carcass decay triggers a surge in carbon-degradation genes, while warming selectively favors pathways that rapidly consume easily degradable carbon.
NewsUshikuvirus: A newly discovered giant virus may offer clues to the origin of life
Researchers have reported the discovery of a giant DNA virus that infects amoeba. Named ushikuvirus after Lake Ushiku in the Ibaraki Prefecture of Japan, where it was isolated. This discovery offers further support for the nuclear virus origin hypothesis.
NewsCholera vaccine completes phase 1 trial
A clinical trial shows promising results for PanChol, a single-dose oral vaccine aimed at the up to 4 million annual cholera cases worldwide.
NewsSub-lethal water disinfection may accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance
A new study reveals that environmental stressors do not merely kill bacteria; they can also prime surviving cells to take up resistance genes more efficiently, raising concerns about how antibiotic-resistant bacteria may spread in aquatic environments.
NewsFrom sediment to surface: How invisible plumes trigger harmful algal blooms
A new study shows that algal blooms can begin days earlier than previously recognized, originating from chlorophyll-rich plumes rising from lake sediments before any surface discoloration appears.
NewsViruses in wastewater: Silent drivers of pollution removal and antibiotic resistance
New findings suggest that current monitoring strategies, which rely heavily on bacterial indicators alone, may miss critical viral-driven risks and opportunities for safer wastewater reuse.
NewsHow the parasite that ‘gave up sex’ found more hosts – and why its victory won’t last
A study has revealed a genetic shortcut that may help Giardia duodenalis and many other parasites jump to new hosts at the cost of long-term survival. The findings may also help explain how parasites evolve drug resistance.
NewsMicrobes that break down antibiotics help protect ecosystems under drug pollution
A new study shows that certain microbes can act as community protectors by breaking down antibiotics and stabilizing entire microbial ecosystems, offering a new way to rethink environmental risk assessment and pollution management.
NewsFifteen-year cattle manure application reshapes phoD- and gcd-harboring microbiomes, enhancing vegetable yields
A new study demonstrates that combined manure and chemical fertilizer (M+CF) in an open-field lettuce cropping system enhanced both diversity (+45.3%) and abundance (+290%) of gcd-harboring bacteria.
NewsTurning crop waste into precision weapons against waterborne pathogens
Researchers have developed a novel class of biomass-derived carbon dots that selectively eradicate Staphylococcus aureus in water, using corn straw to synthesize amine-modified nanomaterials that act as oxidase mimics, enabling targeted bacterial inactivation without harming beneficial microorganisms.
NewsAntibiotic resistance is ancient, ecological, and deeply connected to human activity, new review shows
Antibiotic resistance genes are often portrayed as a modern medical problem driven by the overuse of antibiotics in hospitals and farms. A new comprehensive review published in Biocontaminant reveals a much deeper and more complex story. Antibiotic resistance is an ancient feature of microbial life, shaped by millions of years ...
NewsThe antibiotic delafloxacin emerges as a potential therapeutic alternative against Legionella
A study shows, in an experimental laboratory model, that delafloxacin inhibits the intracellular replication of Legionella more effectively than one of the current standard treatments.
NewsMicroalgal–Bacterial granules show resilience to estrogen pollution but face structural collapse at high contamination levels
A study reveals both the adaptive biodegradation potential and the vulnerability of MBGS under estrogenic stress, offering new insights for developing robust, biologically based wastewater treatment technologies.