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
Drought is reshaping the spread of infectious diseases
A review study reveals how drier conditions could make humans and wildlife more vulnerable to certain infectious diseases, even though many parasites and disease-carrying organisms depend heavily on water to survive.
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NewsPlant pathologist selected as Fulbright Distinguished Scholar
Heather Kelly, field crops pathologist in the University of Tennessee Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, has received a prestigious Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Award for two one-month trips to Brazil in 2026 and 2027.
NewsOak leaves harbor distinct microbial worlds on their opposite surfaces
Researchers have discovered that the upper and lower surfaces of a single oak leaf function as two fundamentally different microbial habitats.
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News
When fever isn’t the answer: Infected tadpoles cool themselves to fight viruses
Researchers have experimentally demonstrated that an ectothermic vertebrate infected with a virus actively seeks cooler, rather than warmer, environments to regulate its body temperature.
NewsCorn stalks. It’s what’s for dinner … If you’re a microbe
Engineers have developed a strain of a common bacterial species, Pseudomonas putida, that can feed exclusively on the three major sugars present in corn stalks, with broader implications for the future of biomanufacturing.
NewsBiochar made from brewery waste could help trap harmful bacteria in sandy filtration systems
Researchers have found that biochar made from a common brewery byproduct can substantially improve the ability of sand to retain Escherichia coli, pointing to a potential new use for brewing waste in water filtration and groundwater protection.
NewsYour next handbag could start with mycelium
Researchers create durable, biodegradable vegan leather from fungal fibers using a manufacturing process designed for large-scale production.
NewsProtein-enriched ketchup gets a boost from algae extracts
Added protein is showing up in foods from breakfast cereal to pasta, but not many condiments … yet. Researchers have now developed an enriched tomato ketchup by incorporating protein extracted from microalgae.
NewsResearchers discover a fungal protein that causes leaf loss in crops
A research team has succeeded in gaining insights into the genetic basis of “defoliation” caused by the pathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae. A key protein they have identified is responsible for the aggressive nature of the fungus.
NewsMicrobial keystone taxa stabilize nutrient cycling in deep-water reservoirs
A research team has found that microbial communities in a large, thermally stratified reservoir changed more strongly from year to year than between surface and deep waters, while their overall metabolic functions remained comparatively stable.
NewsResearchers find evidence for two independent origins of life
Researchers retraced the origin of enzymes during life’s earliest divergence into bacteria and archaea, and found evidence for two independent origins of life for free-living cells.
NewsNo-tillage and microbial fertilizer work together to build carbon in nutrient-poor albic soils
A field study in northeastern China shows that combining reduced soil disturbance with microbial organic fertilizer can increase soil organic carbon across both surface and deeper soil layers.
NewsChemolithoautotrophic breakthrough: bacteria converts CO2 into p-coumaric acid without light
p-Coumaric acid is a critical building block for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and functional foods. A new study research leverages C. necator H16’s ability to use H2 as an energy source and CO2 as its sole carbon source.
NewsLemurs fall prey to human herpes virus
A new study marks the first time researchers have been able to confirm human herpesvirus in lemurs via a molecular analysis, outlining the cases of four privately owned animals who died from the illness.
NewsSoil properties determine how farmland microbes release nitrous oxide
A study of agricultural soils reports that physicochemical constraints and microbial functional differences jointly regulate denitrification, causing carbon and nitrogen inputs to alter N₂O and N₂ production differently among soil types.
NewsHidden genome variation steers growth in fungus-dependent orchid
A chromosome-level genome and population survey of the fungus-dependent orchid Gastrodia elata has revealed how hidden genetic differences may shape growth, tuber form, and carbohydrate allocation.
NewsWarming reshapes how nitrogen is stored and lost in flooded rice soils
A three-year field experiment shows that higher temperatures accelerate nitrogen cycling while promoting retention in protected soil pools.
NewsSilencing a fungal wall protein cuts powdery mildew on melon leaves
Powdery mildew fungi survive on living plants behind a cell wall that provides both structural support and a shield against host immunity. Researchers have now identified the fungal cell wall assembly protein ECM33 as a weak point in that defense.
NewsOxygen nanobubbles turn biochar into an active defense against cadmium in flooded rice soils
A newly engineered biochar maintained oxygen around rice roots, shifted cadmium into more stable soil forms, and substantially reduced cadmium accumulation in rice plants.
NewsCould understanding leaf surfaces lead to new ways to prevent crop disease?
Researchers have adopted a biointerfaces approach to the problem of fungicide resistance in plant diseases. Rather than treating fungal diseases with nontargeted fungicide application, they suggest looking at the location where plant-fungi interactions begin: the leaf’s surface.
NewsAmazonian ‘zombie’ fungus harbors a hidden stage inside forest mosses, new study reveals
Researchers have found evidence that the “zombie-ant” fungus, globally known for controlling ant behavior and forcing infected ants to bite onto plants before dying, also lives hidden inside mosses in the Amazon rainforest.
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.