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
Biodegradable plastics show strikingly different fates under landfill conditions
Not all biodegradable plastics behave the same once they reach landfill-like environments. Researchers found that PHB broke down almost completely within weeks and PLA degraded substantially over several months, while PBAT barely mineralised, revealing how strongly biodegradation depends on environmental conditions and microbial activity.
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NewsImproving heat-resilient indigenous livestock using local AI models built on gut microbiome data
Researchers have proposed a policy roadmap of an AI-driven precision farming approach to further improve indigenous and other livestock breeds’ abilities to withstand extreme conditions in farming operations of all sizes and types.
NewsMethane-consuming organisms create nanowires that grow on electrode – and can generate a small amount of electricity
Certain anaerobic methanotrophic archaea consume methane and convert it into electricity, as research conducted four years ago revealed. New research now shows that these methane-consuming organisms do this by producing nanowires through which they can transmit the electricity they generate.
FeaturesBuried in the Himalayas: What wetland soil Is telling us about climate change
High up in the Indian Himalayan Region lie wetlands that most of us will never see. New research suggests these quiet, high-altitude wetlands are playing a far bigger, and far more substantial, role in the planet’s carbon budget than anyone expected, say Shweta Kadam and Dr Om Prakash Sharma who sits on AMI’s Climate Action Advisory Group.
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News
Genetic hitchhikers make Aspergillus infections even harder to treat
Resistance to antifungal medicines in the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus is proving more persistent than previously thought. Research shows that fungicides used in agriculture, even those with a different mode of action from these medicines, can help maintain this resistance. This is because different resistance genes ‘hitchhike’ together.
NewsNative bacterial SynCom improves acidic soil and boosts lettuce growth
A synthetic community of two native soil bacteria helped reduce acidity and strongly boost lettuce growth in greenhouse experiments. Delivered on a sugarcane-processing residue, the microbes also increased nutrient availability and reshaped root-zone microbial activity.
NewsHidden microbial ecosystems of leatherback turtles offer new insights for Caribbean marine conservation
Scientists studying leatherback sea turtles in Puerto Rico have uncovered distinct microbial communities on the animals, their eggs, and the sand surrounding their nests.
NewsThree onion problems, one microbial answer: a five-strain consortium controls basal rot, eases salt-alkali stress and boosts growth
Onion yields and quality are increasingly threatened in China by severe soil salinization and by frequent outbreaks of basal rot. Effective, environmentally friendly measures that address both problems remain scarce. Researchers set out to build a microbial consortium that degrades salt and alkali, controls basal rot, and promotes onion growth.
NewsAMI members call for microbiome-focused approach to EU biotechnology regulation
Members of Applied Microbiology International (AMI) have urged the European Commission to put microbial communities at the heart of environmental risk assessments for genetically modified microorganisms, as part of its response to the EU Biotech Act consultation.
NewsSimulator predicts jumping genes’ roles in changing genome size
Researchers have created a new computational tool that works from an inferred ancestral point and evolves forward to the modern-day genome to trace the insertion and deletion dynamics of these ’jumping genes’, known as transposable elements.
NewsNew AI tool helps scientists identify bacteria hidden in soil
A handful of soil holds a crowded world of bacteria, fungi and other organisms. Scientists can collect their DNA, but much of it remains difficult to identify. Now, researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool that recognizes bacterial DNA in tiny genetic fragments, making it faster and easier to study the complex communities living in soil.
NewsInternational review reveals importance of hidden Arctic root processes for climate change
A new review has revealed the critical role that plant roots play in shaping how Arctic tundra ecosystems respond to climate change. It highlights how processes occurring beneath the soil surface could help scientists better understand how one of the fastest-changing ecosystems on Earth will influence the future climate.
NewsScreening for putative essential genes in Brucella abortus strains A19 and S2308 using transposon mutagenesis
The categorization of functional genes in Brucella requires refinement. This knowledge gap was addressed by classifying gene essentiality through constructing a transposon mutant library. Mariner transposon mutant libraries were independently constructed for Brucella abortus A19 and S2308.
NewsLeaf spectra reveal hidden nitrogen-fixing nodules in soybean roots
Soybean roots may no longer need to be dug up to reveal how well they are forming nitrogen-fixing nodules. Researchers have shown that hyperspectral signals from leaves can predict below-ground nodule traits, offering a non-destructive way to track plant–microbe partnerships under drought and salt stress.
NewsMigratory birds spread avian influenza to Greenland’s polar bears
Migrating birds that breed in the Arctic are spreading avian influenza to polar bears in eastern Greenland, according to a new study that found evidence of infections in bear blood samples acquired from Greenland Inuit subsistence hunters.
NewsReindeer grazing reshapes the hidden roots of northern forests
Reindeer grazing is reshaping northern pine forests beneath the surface as well as above it. Researchers found nearly 30% less shallow-root biomass in grazed forests, alongside shorter, thicker and less-branched roots, changes that could alter nutrient uptake, soil microbial communities and the way carbon moves through these ecosystems.
NewsOne strain, two jobs: Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SQ1 degrades wheat straw and suppresses aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SQ1SQ1 functions as a dual-purpose biocatalyst for wheat straw biomass, breaking down cellulose while inhibiting fungal growth, thereby enhancing straw biotransformation, mitigating mycotoxin risk and supporting early crop growth.
NewsArmored cells: A mineral shell lets whole-cell biocatalysts run 14 cycles for greener nicotinic acid
Scientists aiming to use whole-cell biocatalysis to manufacture niacin engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum to express a mutant nitrilase from Pseudomonas putida and then encapsulated the whole cells in a biomimetic hybrid shell.
NewsBelgium’s top science foundation honors 'Virus Hunter'
’Virus Hunter’ Ken Stedman has been named an International Collen-Francqui Professor for the 2026-27 academic year, an honor the Francqui Foundation reserves for scientists it considers among the best in their field.
NewsBee hives found to be ‘living immune systems’ that protect bees
Researchers have discovered honey beehives act as ‘living immune systems’ that help protect the bee colony, their offspring, and food supplies from disease. In a remarkable example of insect engineering each part of the hive is ‘built in’ strategically across different compartments of the hive.
NewsHow plants unwittingly help fungal pathogens
Infecting a maize plant is no simple task for a fungal pathogen such as Ustilago maydis. A group of researchers has now uncovered how the fungus detects that it has successfully entered its host. This signal triggers changes in fungal growth.
NewsCould plywood provide a better home for oil-degrading microbes?
The material used to support microbial biofilms could influence their potential role in treating water generated during oil production. Researchers examined whether different supporting materials affect the formation, abundance, and composition of biofilms inside a 14-hectare constructed wetland treating oil-produced water.
NewsVirus-based tool opens a faster route to studying cowpea genes
Genome sequencing of cowpea has provided researchers with numerous candidate genes, and genetic transformation has enabled studies of traits such as drought and heat tolerance. A new study reports sustained gene silencing across seven cowpea varieties and demonstrates the system’s utility for investigating jasmonate regulation during leafminer infestation.