All University of Tokyo articles
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NewsBovine H5N1 influenza from infected worker transmissible and lethal in animal models
A highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus, isolated from the eye of a farm worker who became infected through contact with dairy cows, was lethal in mice and ferrets infected in a high-containment laboratory environment.
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News2-billion-year-old rock home to living microbes
Pockets of microbes have been found living within a sealed fracture in 2-billion-year-old rock. This could help us understand very early life on Earth and the hunt for evidence of life on Mars.
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NewsNew method sheds light on early cellular and metabolic evolution
Researchers have developed a pioneering method of analysis to investigate microfossils, by fixing them onto a specially coated glass slide (ITO-glass), allowing for integrated observations using both optical and electron microscopy.
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NewsNovel nanosensing technique offers quality control of viral vectors in gene therapy
Researchers report a novel nanosensing technique to measure viral vector characteristics, measuring the ionic current that flows through a nanopore opening when a voltage differential is applied to a solution containing adeno-associated virus.
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NewsWillingness to pay for nationwide wastewater surveillance in Japan
A contingent valuation study in Japan estimates willingness to pay for a wastewater surveillance system for infectious diseases.
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NewsDensely packed E.coli bacteria form immobile material similar to colloidal glass
Dense E.coli bacteria have several similar qualities to colloidal glass. When they become higher in density and more packed together, they form a ’glassy state’ but also show some other unique properties not typically found in glass-state materials.
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NewsPhage-derived enzyme targets biofilms to mitigate acute graft-versus-host disease
Scientists investigating acute graft-versus-host disease probe gut microbiome to detect presence of a bacteriophage-derived enzyme known as endolysin, exhibiting potent antibacterial activity specifically targeting E. faecalis.
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NewsMicromachines are powered by tiny, active microorganisms
Researchers have created tiny, vehiclelike structures which can be maneuvered by microscopic algae. The algae are caught in baskets attached to the micromachines, which have been carefully designed to allow them enough room to continue swimming.
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NewsRaw milk is risky, but airborne transmission of H5N1 from cow’s milk is inefficient in mammals
New research suggests that exposure to raw milk infected with the currently circulating virus poses a real risk of infecting humans, but that the virus may not spread very far or quickly to others.
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NewsScientists uncover the secret synchronised sex life of coral
For the first time, researchers have produced a model for coral spawning, based on various environmental factors. They achieved this by tapping an often overlooked source of aquatic knowledge - an aquarium.
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NewsScientists show how COVID mRNA vaccines reshape immune memory after each dose
Researchers show that T cells can reshape their memory and maintain diversity against different COVID variants in response to successive mRNA vaccinations.
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NewsCovid variant JN.1 raises concerns with increased transmissibility and immune evasion
Researchers reveal genetic differences, increased infectivity, and vaccine resistance in the newly identified SARS-CoV-2 variant JN.1.
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NewsInstitut Pasteur and University of Tokyo to form Planetary Health Innovation Center
The Institut Pasteur and the University of Tokyo have signed a letter of intent (LOI) to establish the Planetary Health Innovation Center (PHIC), marking the first step towards the Institut Pasteur of Japan, a private not-for-profit association.
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NewsOne gene cluster switches fungus from beneficial to harmful
Scientists studying a pathogenic strain of a root fungus have found that activation of a single fungal secondary metabolism gene cluster determined the negative impact of the fungus on the host plant.
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NewsAlgae pass on nutrients to coral host by degrading own cell wall
Researchers have identified a new pathway by which sugar is released by symbiotic algae, involving the largely overlooked cell wall.
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NewsMagnetic bacteria found on deep sea vents
Magnetotactic bacteria that ‘sense’ the Earth’s magnetic field have been found on deep undersea vents.
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NewsNew species of microalgae found in home aquarium could deliver food, cosmetics and biofuel
Researchers analyzing DNA from a microalgae found in water from a home aquarium have discovered Medakamo hakoo, whose DNA sequence didn’t match any on record.
