Healthy land
Land has a wide variety of uses: agricultural, residential, industrial, and recreational. Microbes play a key role in the terrestrial ecosystem, providing symbiotic relationships with plants. Human use of land has led to the exhaustion of nutrients in soils, contamination of land, and a reduction in biodiversity. Applying our knowledge of microbes will be essential in restoring the biodiversity of affected ecosystems. Greater research into how microbes impact human life on land could all have a positive impact, by increasing crop production, repurposing areas of land and improving microbial biodiversity in soil, land, and water.
News
Microorganisms actively shape the ocean floor
At a newly discovered hydrothermal system in the Mediterranean, researchers were able to demonstrate how different intensities of hydrothermal fluid flow shape microbial communities and control mineral formation on the ocean floor.
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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.
NewsHow bats tolerate viruses: study sheds light on one of nature’s biggest immune mysteries
Researchers have found that the world’s largest family of bats has two distinct copies of the genes that produce antibodies, the specialized proteins that help the immune system recognize and fight infections. Every other known mammal has only one such set.
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News
BloomNet turns lake data into early algal bloom warnings
A research team has developed BloomNet, an interpretable deep-learning framework that forecasts harmful algal blooms at hourly resolution up to 72 hours ahead while also showing how risk changes over time.
NewsLorMe: a unified framework for standardized microbiome analysis
An open-source R framework is designed to provide a unified approach for standardized microbiome analysis. The analytical platform enables the transition from raw microbiome data processing to publication-ready visualization through a streamlined workflow.
NewsElephant vaccine shows first signs of protection against deadly virus
Scientists have published the first peer-reviewed evidence that an experimental mRNA vaccine may help protect young Asian elephants from elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus, one of the deadliest diseases facing the species.
NewsTire microplastics may accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance in cities
A new perspective article suggests that tire microplastics could create environmental hotspots that help antibiotic resistance genes persist, move between bacteria, and spread through cities.
NewsNanotube connections between social amoebae
Scientists studying the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum found that, in addition to signaling molecules drifting from cell to cell freely or inside membrane vesicles, the amoebae also create tunneling nanotubes that physically connect the membranes of cells.
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.
NewsNew antibiotic mechanism triggers hope for new treatments in fight against resistance
A team studied the bacterium Coxiella burnetii to investigate why it is so sensitive to doxycycline. They found antibiotic molecules stack upon each other to block the ribosome exit channel, revealing a new mechanism for how doxycycline disarms the bacterium.
NewsResearch on foul odors and open wounds targets flesh-eating screwworm
Scientists are studying foul-smelling substances to figure out what attracts the New World screwworm to its favorite meal – open wounds – to develop better lures for trapping this serious threat to the livestock industry.
NewsEngineered microbial communities offer a faster route to removing herbicide residues from soil
A new review highlights how carefully designed teams of microorganisms could offer a more effective way to break down herbicide contaminants than relying on individual microbial strains.
NewsHow changing environments can preserve an ancient microbial survival strategy
A theory explains how a seemingly self-destructive behaviour known as “latecomer killing” could persist for hundreds of millions of years.
NewsPm72, a new powdery mildew resistance gene identified from wild einkorn wheat
Researchers have identified a new powdery mildew resistance gene, Pm72, from wild einkorn wheat that will be a useful gene resource for wheat breeding.
NewsMicroscopic atlas reveals how citrus Huanglongbing disease progresses through trees
Scientists have created a detailed microscopic atlas that provides one of the clearest pictures to date of how citrus huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease, develops over time and affects different parts of a tree.
NewsPlants can tell beneficial bacteria apart — and dose matters
A study reports that melon plants perceive and respond differently to two phylogenetically similar Bacillus strains. Bacillus subtilis NCIB3610 and B. velezensis FZB42 — despite colonizing roots with similar efficiency — trigger fundamentally different host programs.
NewsIndustrial poultry farming is accelerating the spread of a major foodborne disease
A new study reveals that industrial poultry farming has led to more than 100-fold increase in the movement of Campylobacter, allowing strains that once circulated in wild birds to mix extensively in commercial poultry populations.
NewsHow a pandemic detour helped researchers uncover clues to a mysterious disease
Researchers examined the environmental and human factors that influence the distribution of Buruli ulcer, a neglected tropical disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans.
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.
NewsNew open-access database maps pathogens and antibiotic resistance risks in coastal waters
A new global database brings together information on disease-causing microorganisms, antibiotic resistance genes, and virulence factors in coastal waters, offering a practical tool for assessing biological risks in estuaries and other nearshore environments.
NewsNew research identifies potential early indicator of Johne’s disease exposure in calves
New research has found that antibodies against Johne’s disease can be detected in the blood of newborn calves after they have received colostrum from their mothers. Antibody measurements could provide a way to determine when calves are first exposed to the disease.
NewsWeather and human activity impact lake extremophiles
Researchers found that extreme changes, both due to weather and human activity, are reshaping microbial communities in the Great Salt Lake that form the base for a large food web.