All UK & Rest of Europe articles – Page 28
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NewsStudy: Microbes show almost universal potential for biodegrading plastics
Researchers have identified more than 600,000 microbial proteins capable of breaking down natural and synthetic plastics, revealing a far broader biodegradation potential across microbes than previously known.
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NewsSelf-propulsion or slow diffusion: How bacteria, cells, and colloids respond to stimuli
One enables them to quickly leave an environment; the other helps them move toward where they are needed. In microorganisms, as well as in artificial structures, these are the movements triggered in response to incoming and outgoing signals.
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NewsExtend vaccination opportunities and involve community members in communicating about vaccines to boost uptake, say researchers
Extending vaccination opportunities, involving community members alongside healthcare professionals in communicating about vaccines, and providing financial incentives are among the most effective ways to increase vaccine uptake.
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NewsHow soil microbes adapt to life in lakes
Researchers have analyzed the genome of bacteria living in Lake Zurich to conclude that microbes employ two different strategies to colonize new habitats. Some acquire new traits – but others reduce the size of their genome and lose some functions in order to successfully move to a new home.
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NewsA built-in ‘hairpin’ prevents rogue CRISPR RNAs
A new study reveals that many CRISPR-Cas13 systems utilize an RNA to prevent the formation of extraneous CRISPR RNA. With the first repeat, this protective RNA forms a stable structure resembling a hairpin. It points to a remarkable case of convergent evolution.
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NewsA bacterium from bumblebees can produce vitamin B2 in soya drinks
Researchers have developed a new method that can reduce the time needed to find new bacteria for fermentation. They have now identified a bacterium that can be used both for acidification and to increase the vitamin B2 content of soya drinks.
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NewsLonger-term plankton species diversity is independent of ocean mixing
A new study identifies correlations between turbulence, plankton diversity and aggregate abundance in marine coastal regions over longer time periods, providing new insights into marine ecosystems.
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NewsLancet Countdown Europe: New report on health and climate change
Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels is not only making the continent economically and politically vulnerable, it also has dramatic consequences for the population’s health. Growing air pollution, heat damage and the climate-related spread of infectious diseases are looming, warns a new report.
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NewsBetween 2.4 and 4.1 million people estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B infection in Europe
Chronic hepatitis B is substantially prevalent across the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA), affecting an estimated 0.7% of the population in the region in 2022, according to a new study.
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NewsScientists discover the antibacterial potential of ‘hero’ Korean skincare ingredient
Fans of Korean skincare may be familiar with ‘hero ingredient’ Madecassic acid for its skin-soothing properties, but researchers have revealed its greater potential for use in the battle against antibiotic resistance.
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NewsWildlife trade increases pathogen transmission
A study combining forty years of legal and illegal wildlife import-export data with compilations of host–pathogen relationships found that wild mammals that are traded are 1.5 times more likely to share infectious agents with humans than those that are not involved in trade.
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NewsHow cholera bacteria swap defenses against viruses
To survive viral attack, bacteria equip themselves with antiviral immune systems. Vibrio cholerae carries a large genetic element called a sedentary chromosomal integron (SCI). A new study investigates whether the SCI might capture gene cassettes from genetic material entering the cell from the outside.
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NewsCould your housemates be changing your gut bacteria?
Living with friends may quietly be altering your gut bacteria - according to a new study. Research on a colony of tiny island birds reveals they share more of their gut bacteria with the birds they spend the most time with.
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NewsAtomic-level structure of a giant virus revealed
Researchers have successfully determined, for the first time, the capsid structure of Melbournevirus—a member of the giant virus family—at a resolution of 4.4 Å using cryo-electron microscopy.
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NewsRethinking the gut microbiome: Health is not about staying the same
Despite decades of research into the gut microbiome, microbiome-based interventions such as probiotics or fecal transplants still produce inconsistent results. Scientists suggest part of the problem may lie not in the microbiome itself, but in how we define what it means to be ‘healthy’.
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NewsAfrican swine fever: a novel model for assessing transmission between domestic pigs and wild boar
Researchers have developed an innovative multi-host epidemiological model for African swine fever incorporating both pig farms and wild boar habitats and calibrated using empirical outbreak data. The model uses detailed data from the first phase of the Romanian epidemic.
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NewsBelfast to host global scientists at the Microbiology Society’s Annual Conference 2026
Baroness Natalie Bennett will join leading scientists and policymakers in Belfast for a discussion on how to slow the spread of superbugs at the Microbiology Society’s Annual Conference.
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NewsHow microbes survive in the plastisphere
Trillions of persistent plastic particles of varying sizes are scattered throughout the world’s oceans, where they often accumulate in ocean gyres known as ‘garbage patches’. Two of these regions were the focus of research expeditions.
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NewsThree-dimensional microscopy reveals how tick-borne virus replicates
Researchers show how tick‑borne viruses remodel human cells into virus factories, using an advanced microscopy method. The findings provide new insight into how the virus replicates and matures, knowledge that may become important for future treatments against TBE.
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NewsDrones, DNA, and weather: A phase-oriented hybrid engine to predict sugar beet disease
A fungus that can wipe out up to 50% of a sugar beet crop may soon meet its match in a new generation of smart disease forecasting. Combining drone imagery, weather data, and qPCR-based airborne spore monitoring can reveal where disease is present and what the pathogen is likely to do next.