Climate action
Today we are seeing climate change in action, increased concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases have led to a rise in sea levels, temperatures, and extreme weather patterns. Researchers have acknowledged the pivotal role microorganisms in producing sustainable biofuels, increasing carbon sequestration via soil microbes and reducing methane emissions in landfill sites. Microbial innovation will be vital in moving towards a low carbon economy.
News
As California warms, cases of dengue fever are expected to grow
Historically, dengue fever has been rare in California. But according to new research, a warming climate is making parts of the state more hospitable to the illness — and the mosquitoes that carry it.
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NewsSlow down, microbes: When wheat learns to protect the nitrogen
Wheat plants can do more than grow grain. Research shows that their roots release natural compounds that slow down soil microbes and keep nitrogen in the soil potentially cutting losses, greenhouse gas emissions and costs for farmers.
NewsScientists just found 4 new species of underwater ‘living pink rocks’ that help to store carbon
Rhodoliths may look like small rocks on the seafloor, but they’re actually living algae that create habitats for marine life and contribute to long-term carbon storage. The deeper ‘low-light’ waters off Japan’s Tanegashima Island harbor a surprisingly distinct and diverse community, including four species completely new to science.
NewsBiologist dives beneath Antarctica sea ice to study the impact of climate change
One biologist is studying the genetic diversity of red algae to see how this vital part of Antarctica’s underwater ecosystem is affected by climate change. Answering that question is becoming increasingly important as Earth’s warming climate causes Antarctica’s sea ice to recede farther with every passing year.
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Warming may weaken biochar’s climate benefits in cropland soils, global study finds
Researchers found that warming significantly increased carbon dioxide emissions from soils treated with biochar by an average of 77%. The effect was especially strong in croplands, where emissions increased by 117.5%, compared with 30.9% in forest soils.
NewsDigital model guides cleaner biohydrogen production
A research team has developed an enzyme-aware digital model that explains why hydrogen-producing microbes often struggle to grow fast and generate hydrogen efficiently at the same time. The study reveals how limited enzyme resources shape the balance between cell growth, by-product formation, and hydrogen generation.
NewsMethane emissions maximised by global warming
A new study explains how increases in natural methane emissions will be maximised under future climate warming. It showed that while methane consuming microbes do work harder under warmer conditions, they cannot fully check the extra methane being produced with warming.
NewsBiochar can reshape how soils respond to warming, but the effect depends on the soil
A new study shows that biochar can change how strongly soil nitrous oxide emissions respond to rising temperatures. But the effect is not one-size-fits-all. The study found that nitrous oxide emissions increased with warming in both agricultural soil and forest soil, but forest soil was more temperature-sensitive than agricultural soil.
NewsArctic river deltas at risk from mounting pressures
Researchers have performed a detailed calculation of the amount of carbon stored in permafrost in Arctic river deltas. In a new study, they point out the risks endangering the storage function of these highly sensitive landscapes due to rapid climate change.
NewsScientists map the microbes behind a climate-regulating gas in India’s busiest estuary — a first
When bacteria in the water and sediment break dimethylsulfoniopropionate down, they release dimethylsulfide (DMS), a gas that drifts into the atmosphere and helps form clouds by seeding cloud condensation nuclei. A new paper reports the first-ever study of DMSP concentrations and the bacteria that degrade it along the entire length of the Cochin Estuary.
NewsLong-term biochar use can help cropland soils store more microbial carbon, but depth matters
A 12-year field study shows that biochar boosts stable microbial carbon in topsoil while reducing it in deeper soil layers, highlighting the need for depth-specific carbon management.
NewsNew climate-based tool predicts coral bleaching months in advance
Researchers found that coral bleaching on a Caribbean island occurs when three major climate patterns in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans align in specific ways that intensify ocean warming. They created a new, early-warning tool called the Bleaching Event Early Predictor (BEEP).
NewsNew study uncovers why the Arctic’s rivers are rusting
Scientists have identified the two biggest reasons that once-pristine rivers across the Arctic are growing cloudy with toxic orange iron particles that smother insects and suffocate fish. As the climate warms, a layer of Arctic soil that had been frozen for millennia has begun to thaw.
NewsEU project aims to make climate-neutral plastics and cosmetics using bacteria
A European research team is aiming to revolutionize the chemical industry: as part of the CarboNcare project, scientists are developing bacteria that can produce important chemical base materials from sustainable methanol – thereby replacing fossil resources.
NewsBiochar could help make tea farming cleaner, safer, and more climate resilient
A new review examines how biochar, a carbon-rich material produced by heating biomass under limited oxygen, could become a practical tool for more sustainable tea cultivation. It focuses on five connected areas: soil properties, microbial communities, nutrient cycling, tea productivity and quality, and heavy metal detoxification.
NewsScientists map the ocean’s invisible workforce
A new study identifies a small set of “metabolic niches” — or functional roles — that help explain how marine microbes grow, compete for resources and recycle carbon around the globe. The microbes are incredibly diverse, but their behavior can be grouped into a manageable number of strategies.
NewsNew study suggests fish gut microbe helps regulate ocean health
New research reveals a potential link between the gut microbes of a fish and global ocean processes, offering new insight into how marine ecosystems help regulate ocean chemistry and the marine carbon cycle.
NewsResearch shows plants such as canola, tomatoes and rice reduce iron uptake when stressed by drought
New research has found that plants, ranging from canola to rice to tomatoes, actively shut down their own ability to take up iron when they experience drought. The study questions whether plants send out a ‘cry for help’ when they are stressed by drought to recruit beneficial soil microbes in their roots.
NewsSoil scientist awarded $1.6 million NSF grant to study ‘living skin’ of arid ecosystems
A soil scientist has received a $1.6 million, five-year grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund her team’s study of how increasing temperature fluctuations impact the biocrust microbiome — the complex, thin-layer microbe community that stabilizes soil, fixes nitrogen and drives nutrient cycling in drylands.
NewsNot all biochar is equal: New perspective calls for clearer claims in carbon removal and soil health
A new perspective warns that biochar’s long-term carbon storage potential and its soil improvement benefits should not be treated as the same thing. Clearer communication is urgently needed as biochar becomes a major player in voluntary carbon markets and climate mitigation strategies.
NewsArctic Ocean food chain disrupted as key tipping point passed
An irreversible shift in the chemical make-up of the Arctic Ocean driven by climate change is disrupting the region’s food chain, a study suggests. Widespread loss of Arctic sea ice has led to a sharp fall in levels of a key nutrient, affecting populations of plankton, fish, seabirds and marine mammals.
News The hidden carbon sponges: Karst reservoirs proven to be powerful climate allies
A new study provides a mechanistic explanation for why reservoirs in karst landscapes are exceptionally effective carbon sinks. The research demonstrates that these unique ecosystems not only capture vast amounts of carbon but also lock it away in a highly stable, long-lasting form.
NewsInternational award honors microbiology researchers for diatom research
Two microbiology researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, are being honored with an international award that recognizes their insights into aquatic microbes that are vital to Earth’s ecosystems.