Ocean Sustainability
Over 70% of the earth is covered in water, which serves as a vital resource human subsistence. Contamination and acidification pose major threats to aquatic health and biodiversity. Microbes offer a promising solution in their ability to breakdown contamination from oil spills and plastics. Applied microbiologists can play a significant part in understanding biodiversity, contributing to solutions, and encouraging stewardship.
Robotic technology helps unlock the hidden microbial world of the deep sea
New robotic technology recreates and maintains deep-sea conditions, allowing difficult-to-grow microorganisms to be studied in the laboratory. Researchers successfully recovered 34 microbial isolates from samples collected 1,300 metres beneath the Sea. The technology grew a microbe that cannot be cultivated under normal atmospheric conditions.
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Deep-sea nodules harbour hidden animal communities threatened by mining
Polymetallic nodules are not just mineral-rich rocks on the deep seafloor. Researchers found that their cracks and cavities shelter distinct communities of tiny animals, raising concerns that deep-sea mining could permanently destroy habitats that take millions of years to form.
AMI President Professor Raquel Peixoto elected Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences
Applied Microbiology International (AMI) is delighted to announce that its President, Professor Raquel Peixoto, has been elected as a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), in recognition of her outstanding contributions to microbiology and marine conservation.
Researchers discover novel host-bacteria symbiotic structure in deep-sea mollusc
Researchers have discovered a previously unknown specialized organelle structure in a deep-sea mollusc living at cold seeps in the South China Sea. The deep-sea mollusc Chaetoderma shenloong evolved the dracosphera to maintain symbiosis with bacteria and adapt to extremely oxygen-depleted environments.
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KAUST unveils landmark coral facility on the Red Sea, advancing Saudi scientific expertise and marine conservation
The KAUST Coral Restoration Initiative (KCRI) land-based nursery and research campus is now growing corals at scale. It is designed to produce up to 360,000 corals a year, to outplant more than two million corals across 100 hectares of reef at Shushah Island by 2030, and to establish a resilient reef ecosystem by 2040.
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Eels transmit a virus through biting: a discovery that changes our understanding of viral infections in fish
Contrary to what was previously believed, viruses infecting fish are not transmitted exclusively through water acting as an abiotic vector. A team of researchers has demonstrated that a virus affecting European eels can spread very efficiently through biting during aggressive interactions between individuals.
Viral spillover underwater: review maps how aquatic viruses leap between species and how to catch the next jump early
When pathogens leap between species, the textbook cases are terrestrial: influenza from birds, Ebola from wildlife, SARS-CoV-2 at a market. A review argues that equal attention should go to water, the world’s fastest-growing food production sector and where viruses move readily among fish, amphibians, reptiles and crustaceans.
CARB-X funds UNSW Sydney to develop novel antibiotic targeting drug-resistant Gram negative bacterial infections
Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) is awarding US$853k to UNSW Sydney to support the development of synthetic darobactin analogues, a new class of antibiotic designed to kill multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.
Hidden 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.
FAU awarded $1.2 million to advance coral reef restoration in Florida
Nearly $1.25 million in new funding will support research into why some restored corals survive while others die. By combining coral genetics, microbiome analysis and field monitoring, researchers aim to identify which corals are most likely to withstand heat, bleaching and disease at different reef sites.
Study identifies fetal bovine serum in vaccines as key risk factor for spinal deformities in farmed Atlantic salmon
New peer-reviewed research demonstrates a strong association between residual fetal bovine serum in oil-adjuvanted vaccines and the prevalence of “cross-stitch” vertebrae, a condition linked to significant growth reduction.
Study investigates Southern Ocean’s role in global nutrient cycling
A study tracking changes in the physical, biogeochemical, and optical properties of Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) and Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) reveals how the two water masses follow distinct nutrient recycling pathways, potentially influencing the composition and productivity of far-reaching phytoplankton communities.
A type of Arctic Ocean bacteria may be using acetone to turn carbon into food
A newly identified Arctic Ocean bacterium may have an unusual way of making the building blocks it needs to grow. Using acetone, a common chemical in seawater, the bacteria incorporate carbon dioxide (CO2) into their metabolisms, allowing them to survive in waters where nutrients and usable organic matter are scarce.
Study reveals how coral-associated bacteria help corals survive extreme heat
A new study has revealed how coral-associated bacteria help corals withstand extreme heat by producing steroid hormones that strengthen their immune response. Endozoicomonas, a group of bacteria commonly associated with corals worldwide, produce steroid hormones including testosterone and progesterone when temperatures rise.
Deep-sea corals in fossil fuel-producing region have distinct microbial communities
Researchers who carried out the first comprehensive study of the microbial communities living in symbiosis with deep-sea corals in one of Brazil’s most active oil- and gas-producing regions discovered that each species hosts a distinct, and sometimes highly specialised, community of microorganisms.
Review probes marine host-microbe symbioses - and what they mean for conservation
A new review casts new light on what the ocean can tell us about the partnership between animals and microbes. Almost every marine organism, from corals and sponges to squid, fish, deep-sea mussels and seagrasses, lives as a holobiont: a host together with the bacteria, archaea, microscopic eukaryotes and viruses it carries.
FAU receives $1.3M NOAA grant to address harmful algal blooms
A new $1.3 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science will enable researchers to investigate the environmental and biological mechanisms that drive harmful algal blooms in subtropical estuaries.
Scientists discover a way to reverse coral bleaching at record speed
For the first time, scientists have observed bleached corals on the brink of death fully recover through brief contact with healthy clones. Ghostly white corals returned to full health in a laboratory setting within seven weeks, the fastest documented recovery to date, according to a study.
New sequencing tool tracks harmful algal blooms as they emerge
A portable DNA sequencer can detect harmful algae in coastal waters in near real time, including species present at very low levels before blooms become obvious. Researchers also found that several harmful species often appear together, suggesting shared environmental triggers may help drive their growth.
Coral heat tolerance depends on species and location
Not all corals cope with rising ocean temperatures in the same way. New research shows that heat tolerance can vary sharply between species and even between nearby populations, with some corals from cooler, more exposed reefs proving unexpectedly resilient to thermal stress.
Bacteria DNA has evolved to withstand copper
Marine bacteria have evolved to bypass the copper-based coatings placed under ships to stop the growth of barnacles, algae, and other marine life. This necessitates new methods for managing biofouling — the unwanted accumulation of marine organisms — on ship hulls.
The gooier marine snow is, the better it is at transporting carbon, new study finds
Scientists have revealed that the viscosity of marine snow can have a major impact on how quickly it’s broken down and how far it sinks, factors that influence how much carbon it transports to the deep ocean. They found that gooey marine snow can shuttle more than six times the carbon to the deep ocean than less viscous particles.
How deep-sea clams and bacteria survive shifting energy supplies
Deep-sea clams living at cold seeps survive in an environment where their main energy source can rise and fall dramatically. New research shows that the clams and their bacterial partners respond together, switching metabolic pathways, adjusting symbiont populations and reallocating resources to remain stable under changing conditions.