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
Researchers reveal how microbes return after a wildfire
A study suggests that dispersal - through air or rain, for example - plays a major role in microbial succession after a destructive fire.
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NewsNanoparticles made from plant viruses could be farmers’ new ally
Engineers have developed nanoparticles, fashioned from plant viruses, that can deliver pesticide molecules to soil depths that were previously unreachable.
NewsClimate warming could impact forest resilience by disrupting fungal networks
Researchers find that warming trends will likely result in major disturbances of networks of fungi, potentially harming forest resilience.
NewsDiscovery in mosquitoes could lead to new strategy against dengue fever
Researchers have discovered that a protein in the mosquito Aedes aegypti , Argonaute 2, has a key role - via several biological mechanisms - in keeping mosquitoes healthy and active despite the presence of viral infections like dengue and Zika.
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News
Lumen Bioscience wins historic $1.5 million Wilkes Center Climate Prize
The Seattle-based biotech company has developed a natural solution to eliminate the microorganisms in the cow gut that produces methane gas, a major cause of global warming.
CareersEdie uncovers how microbes can shine light on dirt bike vandalism
For her AMI-sponsored Summer Placement, forensic science student Edie Holmes joined a team investigating whether microbial profiling could be used to link dirt bikes to vandalised sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs). Here’s what happened.
NewsScientists develop mRNA vaccine against Lyme disease-causing bacteria
An experimental mRNA vaccine provides protection in preclinical animal models against infection from Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, according to new research.
NewsScientists developing field test to detect Covid virus in dozens of host species
Purdue University has received $2.7 million in federal funding to develop a field test that can measure and predict the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in a wide range of wildlife and farm animals.
NewsResearch on bee virus origins uncovers buzz-worthy breakthrough
A study of deformed wing virus, a key driver in declines among European honey bee populations, show that one of the most common strains, DWV-A, originated in Asia and not Europe, as previously suggested.
NewsDeadly frog disease more prevalent in central Florida than expected
As climate change alters temperature and rainfall patterns in North America, researchers say more areas could experience conditions favorable to the disease known as amphibian Perkinsea.
FeaturesUnder the microscope: the rhizosphere
Microorganisms have diverse roles in the rhizosphere, which can include plant nutrition, promoting growth, and inducing and/or preventing disease.
CareersEarly career scientists team up with biotech firm NCIMB to tackle pesticide toxicity
Biotech company NCIMB, one of the industrial beneficiaries, recently hosted three early career scientists as part of the ARISTO programme which aims to develop tools to assess the toxicity of pesticides on soil microorganisms.
NewsLife in boiling water similar in far-flung locations
Scientists studied hot springs on different continents and found similarities in how some microbes adapted despite their geographic diversity, yeilding clues to the evolution of life.
NewsLack of maternal care affects development, microbiome and health of wild bees
Most wild bees are solitary, but one tiny species of carpenter bees fastidiously cares for and raises their offspring, an act that translates into huge benefits to the developing bee’s microbiome, development and health.
NewsMysterious family of microbial proteins hijack crops’ cellular plumbing
Duke researchers may have come up with a way to disarm them, preventing $220 billion in annual crop damage.
NewsLeading scientists issue ‘gain of function’ recommendations
A workshop of leading scientists has reviewed the benefits and risks of ’gain of function’ research, and proposed a foundation to guide discussions and improve oversight moving forward.
NewsE coli bacteria engineered to generate electricity from wastewater
Scientists have reported a groundbreaking achievement in bioelectronics, advancing the capabilities of common E. coli bacteria to generate electricity.
NewsAI method refines biome labeling for microbial community samples
Researchers have introduced Meta-Sorter, an AI-based method that leverages neural networks and transfer learning to significantly improve biome labeling for thousands of microbiome samples in the MGnify database.
NewsNew strains of influenza A virus in pigs potentially pose pandemic risk
A new study addresses gaps in understanding of swine influenza A virus evolution and highlights need for early warning of disease emergence.
NewsCustom extracellular membrane vesicles deliver crop growth payload, without downsides of PGPRs
Custom-built extracellular membrane vesicles (MVs) can be deployed as a microbe-free way of boosting crop growth without the downsides of plant-growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), a new study reveals.
News3D-printed ‘living material’ waffles could clean up contaminated water
Researchers have developed a new type of material, combining a seaweed-based polymer with engineered bacteria, that could offer a sustainable and eco-friendly solution to clean pollutants from water.
NewsLarge numbers of sea lions found dead in South America due to bird flu
Large numbers of sea lions have been found dead along the Argentinian coast as a result of avian influenza.
NewsAlgae provide clues about 600 million years of plant evolution
Research team led by Göttingen University investigates 10 billion RNA snippets to identify ’hub genes’.
