All UK & Rest of Europe articles – Page 6
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NewsSilent enemies, smart weapons - switching off phage contamination using nanoparticles
Bacteriophages represent a serious threat to laboratories and industries that rely on bacterial cultures for production. Researchers have demonstrated an innovative solution that enables targeting the surface of bacteriophage through electrostatic interactions.
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NewsRich medieval Danes bought graves ‘closer to God’ despite leprosy stigma, archaeologists find
Researchers used gravesites to investigate social exclusion based on illness, by studying whether people with leprosy or tuberculosis were kept out of the higher-status areas. Unexpectedly, they found that people who were ill with stigmatized diseases were buried just as prominently as their peers.
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NewsLiving material makes harmful UV light visible – Functional coating made from proteins and bacteria
Researchers have developed a T-shirt coating - using proteins and bacteria - that reliably detects contact with UV-A radiation, is bio‑based, and could open the door to a wide range of new materials that draw on the biological functions of cells.
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NewsFire-footed rope squirrels identified as a natural reservoir for monkeypox virus
A cross-species transmission event documented in Côte d’Ivoire provides new insights into the spread of mpox in the wild.
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NewsProposals for exploring viruses and skin as the next experimental quantum frontiers share US$30,000 science award
Viruses exist at the boundary between living and non-living matter, while skin is a living interface between physics and biology, making them perfect—but until now overlooked—arenas for testing the interplay between quantum physics, biology and life.
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NewsHIV antibody opens up new approaches for vaccine development and combination therapies
An international research team has identified a novel HIV antibody that targets the virus at a particularly vulnerable site and overcomes previous limitations of known antibodies. The study opens up new perspectives for the development of vaccines and therapeutics against HIV-1.
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NewsHow the joint defence mechanism of two bacteria works
Back in 2021, researchers showed that bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas and Paenibacillus join forces to protect themselves from their predator, an amoeba. Now, they have been able to show exactly how this defense mechanism works.
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NewsEleven genetic variants affect the gut microbiome
In two new studies on 28,000 individuals, researchers are able to show that genetic variants in 11 regions of the human genome have a clear influence on which bacteria are in the gut and what they do there. Only two genetic regions were previously known.
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NewsRecycling strategies of fungi can affect how forests store carbon
Some fungi are wasteful, while others recycle – and this can determine how much carbon is stored in a forest. Researchers have revealed how fungi manage their mycelium, the network that builds the structure of fungus. The results could provide new insights into the carbon cycle and climate.
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NewsStiff gels slow germs: New study maps hydrogel properties that control bacterial growth
Scientists has found that firmer, lower water content hydrogels limit bacterial growth, with implications for designing antibacterial coatings, infection models, and advanced medical materials.
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NewsResearchers solve mystery behind rare clotting after adenoviral vaccines or natural adenovirus infection
Scientists have uncovered why a small number of people developed dangerous blood clots after either receiving certain COVID‑19 vaccines or experiencing a natural adenovirus infection - the answer lies in an unexpected case of misdirected targeting by the immune system.
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NewsRoot microbes could help oak trees adapt to drought
Microbes could help oak trees cope with environmental change. A study observing oaks growing in a natural woodland found that the trees’ above- and below-ground microbiomes were resilient to drought, nutrient scarcity, and exposure to pathogenic beetles and bacteria.
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NewsRapid response launched to tackle new yellow rust strains threatening UK wheat
The UK’s wheat is under threat from a newly identified strain of the yellow rust pathogen, prompting an urgent mobilisation of research institutes to protect harvests. The new strain has overcome a key resistance gene that was protecting many major UK wheat varieties from yellow rust infection.
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NewsResearchers rebuild microscopic circadian clock that can control genes
Researchers have solved how the circadian clocks within microscopic bacteria are able to precisely control when different genes are turned on and off during the 24-hour cycle.
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NewsDeep-sea microbes get unexpected energy boost
A study shows that sinking organic particles—known as marine snow—begin to leak dissolved carbon and nitrogen when they reach depths of 2–6 kilometres, presenting microbes in the surrounding seawater with nutrients. The leakage is caused by the intense hydrostatic pressure in the deep ocean.
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NewsAccomplices in the spotlight: When the interaction between fungi and bacteria becomes a dangerous alliance
Researchers discover new co-infection strategies of Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis. Only some E. faecalis strains significantly increased cell damage when infected simultaneously with Candida albicans. These strains produced cytolysin, a toxin that perforates cell membranes and kills the cells.
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News‘Hidden’ bugs in our gut appear key to good health, finds global study
A single group of bacteria has repeatedly shown up in high numbers in the gut microbiomes of healthy people. Scientists found the level of CAG-170 bacteria present was consistently higher in healthy people than those with diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, obesity and chronic fatigue syndrome.
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NewsMicrobiomes interconnect on a planetary-scale, new study finds
Scientists reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the same geographical region. By analysing tens of thousands of metagenomes, they found that while most microbes adapt to a specific ecosystem, generalists can thrive across very different habitats.
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NewsTechnology transfer for Corallopyronin A successfully completed with Phyton Biotech
Phyton Biotech has successfully transferred the manufacturing process for the microbial production of Corallopyronin A (CorA). CorA is a novel anti-infective agent with the potential to address neglected tropical diseases.
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NewsObesity linked to one in 10 infection deaths globally
Just over one in 10 deaths from a wide range of infectious diseases can be attributed to obesity worldwide, finds a major new study. People with obesity face a 70% higher risk of hospitalisation or death from an infection than those of a healthy weight.