Economic Equality
Across the globe there are huge disparities in access to basic services such as healthcare, education, and economic resources, with the UN estimating over 98 million people live on less than $1.90 a day. It is vital for microbial research to identify those areas which actively maintain cycles of poverty and disparity. In recognising the interconnected nature of human financial systems and environmental health, microbial research can be a leader in working toward Economic Equality.
News
Clinical data gaps keeping life-saving antibiotics from children
Antibiotics that could treat severe infections in babies and children aren’t accessible due to a lack of data around safety and dosage. Of 12 antibiotics recommended for serious bloodstream infections caused by a harmful, Gram-negative bacteria, only six were licensed in children aged under 12 and just three in babies.
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NewsHow brick-building bacteria react to toxic chemical in Martian soil
Researchers investigated how bacteria that can mould Martian soil into brick-like structures fare in the presence of perchlorate, a toxic chlorine-containing chemical discovered in Martian soil. It slows down bacterial growth - but surprisingly leads to the formation of stronger bricks.
NewsGenetic system makes worker cells more resilient producers of nanostructures
Researchers report the development of a new genetic regulatory system to improve cell viability during the production of gas vesicles.
NewsResearchers enable microorganisms to build molecules with light
Researchers are continually looking for new ways to hack the cellular machinery of microbes to make useful products. A new study shows they can expand the biosynthetic capabilities of these microbes by using light to help access new types of chemical transformations.
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News
New platform could develop vaccines faster than ever before
Scientists are optimizing a vaccine-development platform created to accelerate how quickly life-saving vaccines can be designed and deployed during infectious-disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Study cites link between mental health and long COVID in older women
Older women who have a history of both depression and anxiety had a 78% higher risk of developing long COVID after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, report researchers. Infection rates were not higher; only their risk of complications increased.
Naval Research Lab Space Station study reveals key challenges and opportunities for microbial biomanufacturing in space
Scientists have completed a spaceflight biology investigation aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that reveals how microgravity fundamentally alters microbial metabolism, limiting the efficiency of biological manufacturing processes critical to future long-duration space missions.
Early warning for wine spoilage glows in the dark
Researchers have built a living biosensor made of bacteria that lights up when it detects acetic acid, the main chemical signal that wine is starting to spoil. It works in real time, even in high-alcohol conditions, so wineries can catch problems early, before flavor and quality are damaged.
Methane eating microbes turn a powerful greenhouse gas into green plastics, feed, and fuel
Methane eating microbes could help turn a powerful greenhouse gas into everyday products like animal feed, green plastics, and cleaner fuels, according to a new scientific review of fast moving research on these unusual bacteria.
How a potential antibiotics ban could affect apple growers
Antibiotic resistance in human and animal health is on the forefront of public debate, but it’s a less well-known issue in plant agriculture. However, antibiotics are important tools in fruit production, and their efficacy hinges on avoiding resistance in disease-causing bacteria.
Scientists synthesize medicarpin in baker’s yeast
Scientists have developed a way to synthesize medicarpin in yeast. Like palitaxel in the 1990s, this tumor-attacking sustance has only limited natural quantitites and is considered difficult to synthesize.
From 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.
Scientists reprogramme E. coli to transform sugars into eco-friendly surfactant
A new study demonstrates a sustainable microbial strategy for producing lauryl glucoside by engineering a non-natural biosynthetic pathway in Escherichia coli, revealing precursor availability as a key bottleneck and moving towards greener biomanufacturing.
Decoding the fermentation of ‘Nam Hom’ coconut cider: How yeast choice shapes aroma, flavor, and bioactive compounds
A new study offers a scientific roadmap for producing coconut cider from ‘Nam Hom’ coconut with tailored flavor profiles and enhanced bioactive value, opening new opportunities for value-added coconut beverages.
Scientists develop new biosynthetic route to optically pure S-2-Hydroxyisovalerate
By uncovering an unexpected enzyme activity and combining it with precise metabolic engineering, scientists has transformed Escherichia coli into a microbial factory capable of producing gram-per-liter levels of optically pure S-HIV from renewable carbon sources.
Scientists explore how gut bacteria alter the flavor of Black Ivory coffee beans
Coffee beans that pass through the digestive tracts of animals get their unique flavors from the activity of gut microbes, report researchers. Bacterial activity that reduces the pectin content of Black Ivory coffee could be the source of its smoother, chocolaty, and less bitter flavor.
Not only toxic but also a nutrient: guanidine as a nitrogen source
Cyanobacteria are key ecological players of global carbon and nitrogen cycles. They are also becoming increasingly important for carbon-neutral biotechnology. They could serve as green cell factories for a light-driven and sustainable production of chemicals and fuels – a central pillar of the sustainable bioeconomy.
From palm oil to designer enzymes: researchers reprogram yeast cells
Many everyday products contain fatty acids from palm oil or coconut oil, but the extraction of these raw materials is associated with massive environmental issues. Researchers have now developed a biotechnological approach that could enable a more environmentally friendly production method.
Commercially viable biomanufacturing: designer yeast turns sugar into lucrative chemical 3-HP
Using a tiny, acid-tolerant yeast, scientists have demonstrated a cost-effective way to produce industial chemical 3-Hydroxypropanoic acid, making disposable diapers, microplastics, and acrylic paint more sustainable through biomanufacturing.
Beyond gene scissors: New CRISPR mechanism discovered
Two studies describe how researchers found a novel CRISPR mechanism, Cas12a2, in a family of nucleases that exclusively cleave DNA. In contrast, Cas12a2 was able to broadly cleave both RNA and DNA.
CRISPR discovery could lead to single diagnostic test for COVID, flu, RSV
Researchers report newly discovered details about the Cas12a3 immune system that precisely targets transfer RNA in invading pathogens, without destroying host cells.
Researchers eye goal of turning garden and crop waste into plastics
A research team will combine eco-friendly and application-oriented approaches to develop a cost-effective, energy-efficient technology for making innovative plastics based on polybutylene succinate (PBS) which are made entirely out of organic waste.
New database to target chronic UTIs – a long-overlooked condition that may begin in childhood
A new database targeting chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) – a long-overlooked condition that may begin in childhood – is set to help researchers uncover why millions of women and girls worldwide suffer from infections that defy treatment and stump microbiologists.