Young Innovators & Early Career Research
Early career research is crucial for science, and in delivering applied microbiology to the world. This page is focused on showcasing innovations and research from early career researchers across the globe and provides a hub for the latest news, opinions, careers advice and research for early career scientists. Discover how interdisciplinary colleagues from around the world are making advancements in, and through, applied microbiology.
Careers
A day in the life: Discovering the hidden microbes of Britain’s historic waters
PhD student Wewerly Fernandes outlines her investigations into the microorganisms living in Britain’s historic wells and natural springs - once believed to hold healing properties and linked to legends of Merlin and renowned figures like Robert Burns.
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NewsResearchers look at ‘genetic neighborhoods’ to find pathogenic bacteria
Researchers used a machine-learning approach to study not just which genes a bacterium has, but also where those genes sit next to each other, helping to distinguish disease-causing strains of a poultry pathogen from nonpathogenic strains.
NewsBeyond COVID-19: Fundamental principles that shape pandemics
Researchers have compiled 10 fundamental mechanisms that can be used to describe the development of pandemics, bringing together insights from epidemiology, sociology, mathematics, physics, political science, psychology, and public health.
NewsThe ‘windows’ that set genotoxic bacteria on a track towards colorectal cancer
Scientists have identified potential ‘windows of opportunity’ that can provide routes for some pathogenic strains of E coli to cause mutations that ultimately lead to colorectal cancers.
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News
A lesser-known SARS-CoV-2 protein may offer clues to long COVID symptoms
A new study describes a previously unrecognized way the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein can push the immune system into dangerous overdrive.
NewsHow does a deadly chicken virus escape vaccines designed to slow it?
A new genome-wide study of the Marek’s disease virus identified 10 regions in the genome associated with what makes certain strains more virulent, and could inform next-generation vaccines.
NewsDisarming cause in lupus patients’ infections
Microbiology researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have discovered why patients with the autoimmune disease lupus are susceptible to serious bacterial infections.
NewsBiologist wins NSF CAREER Award to study the ocean’s most abundant microbe
Anne Thompson, an associate professor of biology, won a nearly $1.2 million NSF CAREER Award to answer a basic question about the ocean that science has largely left open: who eats the most abundant photosynthetic life form on Earth?
CareersCortona Prokaryotes: fostering researcher identity for young scientists since 1984
This summer, Letters in Applied Microbiology sponsored the Cortona Prokaryotes congress in Italy, organised by the Italian Society of General Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology (SIMGBM). Loredana Baccigalupi, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Naples, reports back.
NewsStudy detects, for the first time in Brazil, bacteria that cause a serious disease in farmed fish
Columnaris disease pathogens, which were previously only found in Asia and the United States, were identified in samples from São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Paraná. This finding underscores the need for epidemiological surveillance and new vaccines.
NewsIn the right place, even a less fit species can win
A study based on mathematical models shows that, when competing populations colonize new territory, greater fitness is not enough: position and expansion speed also matter.
NewsRedistributing sunlight boosts algae biomass productivity sixfold
Researchers have developed a low-energy way to distribute sunlight more evenly throughout algae cultivation systems. The technology increased algae biomass productivity by as much as six times in outdoor testing.
NewsBioactive metabolite boosts HIV treatment response, reverses gut dysfunction
Scientists have identified a naturally occurring metabolite that repairs gut damage caused by HIV infection and significantly improves the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy in the nonhuman primate model of HIV/AIDS.
NewsThe amino acid arginine helps the body fight tumors and viral infections
Scientists have discovered that an arginine-deficient diet impacts the immune system by stalling the production of the MHC-1 protein, which alerts the immune system to dangers such as a mutating cell or an invading virus.
NewsScientists bring Florida high school students to the front lines of pandemic preparedness
Thirty outstanding high school students from 18 communities across Florida arrived in Tampa last week for the Global Virus Network (GVN) Global Guardians for Pandemic Preparedness Program, curious about viruses and considering careers in science.
NewsRock-eating fungi flourish deep below our feet
A new study is believed to be the first time fungal abundance has been successfully quantified in a deep subsurface site. It identified 689 unique species of fungi, including 13 species that have not been described before, in water samples drawn from gas well sites.
NewsTrees and microbes team up to improve nitrogen nutrient processes in future CO2 conditions
Researchers studying how a 180-year-old oak woodland responded after exposure to the CO₂ levels expected in the future discover that microbes “mine” soil nutrients, supplying 30% more available nitrogen to help trees sustain carbon capture.
NewsCaterpillar that attacks soybeans and cotton harbors fungi that can degrade polystyrene
A moth caterpillar identified by the agribusiness sector as one of the most destructive pests of soybean, cotton, and corn crops may harbor fungi and bacteria in its gut that can degrade expanded polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam.
NewsStudy shows seawater may offer early clues to changing reef health
Researchers have shown that the water surrounding coral reefs contains chemical and microbial signals that could reveal changes in ecosystem health long before those changes are visible.
NewsStudy reveals dengue virus can infect immune cells meant to fight disease
Researchers have discovered that dengue virus can infect and replicate inside memory B cells, immune cells traditionally understood to help protect the body from infection. It’s a previously unrecognized way the virus may evade immune defenses.
NewsNew drug could contribute to stopping measles outbreaks
A new oral antiviral drug candidate administered either before or after direct contact or airborne exposure to canine distemper virus, which causes measles-like disease in ferrets, blocks transmission of the virus and reduces clinical symptoms.
NewsRecycling food waste would bring huge benefits, but microplastics a challenge
A first nationwide look shows diversion of U.S. food waste from landfills could reduce related climate impacts by 89% and nutrient pollution by 50%, researchers say.
NewsPrebiotic sodas typically contain as much sugar as fiber
Prebiotic sodas have become more popular in recent years. According to a new analysis, however, many of these beverages contain relatively little prebiotic fiber content and more sugar than marketing claims might imply.