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
Unique symbiosis bestows magnetic sense to single-celled organism
An international team has discovered a previously unknown magnetotactic ciliate that pursues an unusual strategy: partnership with two other organisms inside its cell.
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NewsScientists gather lessons from the wild
The wild plants tucked into yards, sidewalk cracks, ditches and fields offer a treasure trove of biological data. Studying wild plants allows for insights into possible adaptations to disease that no human-designed systems could provide.
NewsSelf-powered system turns wastewater into water and fertilizer
A new study reports a self-powered platform that links electrically assisted forward osmosis (eFO) with a microbial desalination cell (MDC), allowing electricity produced by wastewater-fed microbes to drive nutrient and water recovery.
NewsMethane-eating bacteria in rivers won’t save us from climate change
A comparative study in Belgium and Africa on the microbial oxidation of methane in rivers reveals that this biological filter, which is more active in African rivers, remains insufficient to offset the rise in methane emissions expected because of global warming and nitrate pollution.
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News
Expanding uses for bioengineered bacterial spores
Fused to the outer layer of bacterial spores, things like enzymes, biosensors, and drugs are easily stored under even extreme conditions.
NewsBacterial cellulose offers a sustainable path for high-performance energy storage
Researchers review the structural, electrochemical, and mechanical aspects of bacterial cellulose-derived carbon electrodes for next-generation supercapacitors.
NewsBugBiome secures £500,000 grant to develop new bioinsecticide working with expert researchers
BugBiome has secured a £500,000 grant from Innovate UK to fund a collaborative project to develop a new biological insecticide to control cabbage stem flea beetles (CSFB) in oilseed rape.
NewsHow an influx of salt may affect microbial ecosystems
Scientists find that as sea levels rise and saltwater seeps into freshwater, stressed aquatic populations may retain overall growth even as diversity declines.
NewsObituary: Professor Arthur Gilmour (1944-2026)
The applied microbiology community has lost one of its most distinguished leaders with the passing of Arthur Gilmour, who served as President of the Society for Applied Microbiology from 1999 to 2002.
NewsNew class of fungi named after the King of Sweden
Researchers have discovered a completely new fungal species, which they chose to name after the King of Sweden. It is the first known representative of a new class of fungi that will be called Semicentenialomycetes.
NewsAntibiotic resistant gene found in Australian soil
A new study reveals a hidden source of antibiotic resistance. The novel gene found in contaminated freshwater NSW sediment provides bacteria with resistance to polymyxin - a critical last line antibiotic, used when others stop working.
NewsConnection between forests and rivers strengthens amphibians’ microbiome and protects them against a lethal fungus
A study indicates that a frog’s resistance to a fungus that has decimated hundreds of amphibian species worldwide is due not only to its genes, but also to the beneficial bacteria living on its skin and to the organization of its surrounding landscape.
NewsLow carbon dioxide levels improve microbial production of biodegradable plastic
In an innovative gas fermentation process, reducing concentration of carbon dioxide was found to significantly improve microbial production of the biodegradable plastic, poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate]. The study provides a promising strategy for sustainable carbon recycling and efficient CO2 utilization.
NewsScientists receive DOW funding for fungal biotechnology research
Scientists have been awarded funding to develop new tools permitting high-throughput analysis of fungal genes. The grant focuses on species of Candida, which can contaminate and sometimes cause operational issues in DOW systems like aircraft fuel systems, vehicles, and electronics.
NewsMystery of why some toads survive deadly fungus revealed
The mystery of why some populations of amphibians recover following outbreaks of a deadly fungus has been solved in a new study. Researchers looked at peptides that the toads secreted from their skin – a key part of their immune defence.
NewsKeystone microbes help stabilize nutrient cycling in a massive deep-water reservoir
A three-year genomic study reveals that microbial communities change substantially over time, while versatile keystone taxa help preserve essential ecosystem functions.
NewsThe family tree of viruses just grew – and it paves the way for a new approach to agricultural research
Researchers have discovered that a group of viruses known to infect an agriculturally important plant pathogen has remained genetically stable for an astonishing four decades. The work also led to the classification and naming of the group of phages.
NewsSix years of drought reshape soil microbiomes in tallgrass prairie, study finds
A new study tracking soil microbial communities across six years of experimental drought in a tallgrass prairie finds that prolonged water stress diminishes biodiversity, pushing communities toward less predictable, harder-to-reverse configurations.
NewsNew project ORIGIN aims to redefine how society accesses natural ingredients
The ORIGIN consortium will develop an integrated AI-supported platform designed to accelerate the path from natural molecules to sustainable, fermentation-based ingredients. The project aims to reduce development timelines to two to three years.
NewsFood waste treatment can boost renewable energy, but a hidden brown byproduct may be holding it back
Researchers have identified a key chemical obstacle in turning food waste into renewable methane, offering a new semi-quantitative way to track melanoidins and showing that higher doses can severely damage the microbial system.
NewsWarm temperatures disrupt spider sex-changing bacteria in dwarf-spiders across generations
A new study reveals that exposing dwarf spiders to a brief period of warm temperatures can disrupt a phenomenon where internal bacteria normally force genetic males to develop as females.
NewsBiochar ‘switches on’ natural oxygen chemistry to suppress soil-borne pathogens and reshape healthier microbial communities
A new study reveals how specially prepared biochar can directly suppress a destructive soil-borne pathogen while helping rebuild a richer and more stable soil bacterial community.
NewsArctic microplastics: A ticking time bomb for climate feedback loops
A new study systematically maps the major transport pathways—atmospheric, oceanic, and local—and details how microplastics infiltrate Arctic food webs and interact with physical and biogeochemical processes that govern regional climate.