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.
News
An enzyme with potential: New type of plastic-degrading enzyme discovered in bacteria
Researchers have identified a new enzyme that can not only degrade certain polyesters and bioplastics, but also might provide bacteria with resistance to antibiotics. The discovery raises hopes that microorganisms can adapt to plastic degradation more rapidly than previously thought.
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NewsAntifungal therapy shows potential for IBD patients with candida overgrowth
A commonly used systemic antifungal medication may help reduce symptoms in a subset of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by restoring a healthier gut microbiome, according to a preliminary study.
NewsSmoky off-flavors in cocoa aren’t caused solely by smoke - overfermentation can be the cause
Researchers have shown that overfermentation of cocoa beans can cause smoky, leathery, and cheesy off-flavors. Smoky flavors, therefore, are not necessarily attributable to smoke contamination.
NewsLoss of kelp forests reverberates down to microbial level
As one moves north, Maine’s kelp forests are being overtaken by dense mats of carpet-like turf algae. The steady decline of kelp, and transition into this new state, is altering the ecosystem all the way down to the microbial level, according to a new study.
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News
Semen facilitates infection with mpox virus
Researchers have found that seminal fluid can facilitate infection of skin cells with the mpox virus. An analysis of the seminal fluid showed that certain naturally occurring protein fragments are responsible for this effect.
NewsAntarctica is home to microbes found nowhere else on Earth
Researchers have found evidence that specific microbes in Antarctica’s soils are endemic — located on the continent and nowhere else on Earth.
NewsHeat-tolerant corals may be more vulnerable to disease, study finds
Corals that partner with heat-tolerant algae may be better equipped to survive warming oceans but that resilience comes with an unexpected trade-off. Such corals keep their stress response system in a heightened state - and that can backfire.
NewsEven ancient bacteria possessed intercellular communication structures like humans today
Communication between cells in plants, animals and humans takes place via specialised connecting structures. Researchers have discovered how the regulation of very similar structures was already present in multicellular bacteria.
NewsInfluenza A infection under-reported during 2021 UK pandemic, researchers reveal
Influenza A infections were under-reported during the 2021 UK pandemic, according to research presented earlier this year at MLSFF 2026.
NewsFrom local waterways to future therapies: Inspiring the next generation of scientists through phage discovery
Coventry University welcomed students from schools across the West Midlands for an immersive outreach experience focused on bacteria, viruses, AMR, and the potential of bacteriophages as a future tool in combating antibiotic-resistant infections.
CareersA 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.
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.
NewsA 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.