All USA & Canada articles
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NewsScientists find hidden diversity inside common brain parasite
Scientists have found that Toxoplasma gondii is far more complex than previously believed. Until now, cysts were believed to contain a single, uniform type of parasite lying dormant until reactivated, but have now been found to contain multiple distinct subtypes of parasites, each with different biological roles.
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NewsIn polar regions, microbes are influencing climate change as frozen ecosystems thaw, review finds
Microbes across Earth’s coldest regions are becoming more active as glaciers, permafrost and sea ice thaw, accelerating carbon release and potentially amplifying climate change, according to a new international review.
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NewsCOVID-19 viral fragments shown to target and kill specific immune cells
New research shows that after the body’s defenses kill the virus behind COVID-19, leftover digested chunks of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can target specific immune cells based on their shape. It could explain why certain populations of cells that detect and fight infection are depleted in patients with severe COVID-19.
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NewsWild blueberries: New review explores benefits for heart, metabolism and the microbiome
A new scientific review summarizes the growing body of research on wild blueberries and cardiometabolic health, which includes factors like blood vessel function, blood pressure, blood lipids and blood sugar. It highlights the gut microbiome as a likely contributor to the cardiometabolic effects.
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NewsStudy cites link between mental health and long COVID in older women
Older women who have a history of both depression and anxiety had a 78% higher risk of developing long COVID after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, report researchers. Infection rates were not higher; only their risk of complications increased.
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News‘Nudging’ both patients and providers boosts flu vaccine numbers
Patients were 28 per cent more likely to get a flu shot when they got a text message reminder and their primary care provider already had an order for the shot waiting, new research showed.
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NewsLong COVID brain fog far more common in US than India, other nations
Patients with long COVID-19 in the U.S. report far higher rates of brain fog, depression and cognitive symptoms than patients in countries such as India and Nigeria, according to a large international study.
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NewsPlants can be designed to alert us to harmful chemicals and diseases
A collaborative team of researchers have developed groundbreaking tools that allow grasses—including major grain crops like corn—to act as living biosensors capable of detecting minute amounts of chemicals in the field.
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NewsNaval Research Lab Space Station study reveals key challenges and opportunities for microbial biomanufacturing in space
Scientists have completed a spaceflight biology investigation aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that reveals how microgravity fundamentally alters microbial metabolism, limiting the efficiency of biological manufacturing processes critical to future long-duration space missions.
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NewsStudy sheds new light on what drives evolution of gut microbiomes
A study of wild African herbivores offers new insight into how environmental conditions – not just diet and anatomy – can influence the evolution of gut microbes that play a critical role in animal health and well-being.
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NewsResearchers discover a previously unknown bacterial component in kidney stone formation
In an unexpected finding, scientists have discovered that bacteria are present inside the most common type of kidney stone, revealing a previously unrecognized component involved in their formation. The findings point to a possible therapeutic target that could be used for prevention and treatment.
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NewsStudy suggests link between viral infection and ALS
Researchers have made a potentially game-changing discovery about the development of devastating motor neuron diseases. They identified a specific type of mouse — the CC023 strain — that responds to a viral infection in a way that looks remarkably similar to humans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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NewsStudy identifies blood protein albumin as key defense against deadly fungal infection ‘mucormycosis’
A new study has identified albumin as a powerful and previously unrecognized defense against a rare but often fatal fungal infection. Patients with mucormycosis had markedly lower levels of albumin compared with patients suffering from other fungal infections.
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NewsSourdough starters reveal a recipe for predicting microbial species survival
Scientists used microbes in bread dough to test a simple way to understand how species live together in nature.
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NewsBiologists and engineers follow goopy clues to plant-wilting bacteria
Slippery, drippy goop makes Ralstonia bacteria devastating killers of plants, causing rapid wilting in tomato, potato and a wide range of other crops, according to new research.
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NewsAncient DNA pushes back record of treponemal disease-causing bacteria by 3,000 years
Scientists have recovered a genome of Treponema pallidum from 5,500-year-old human remains in Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia. The research expands knowledge about the history of this infectious disease and its occurrence in human populations.
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NewsNew research suggests gut bacteria may be linked to memory decline in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease
A new review is shedding light on the growing evidence that gut microbiome imbalances—known as dysbiosis—may play a key role in the development and progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease.
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NewsScientists illuminate ancient plant-fungus partnership at molecular level
Researchers have coupled two powerful tools that allow scientists to identify which proteins work together to make plant-fungi partnerships function—and to verify those interactions in living plant roots, where the collaboration actually occurs.
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NewsResurrected ancient enzyme offers new window into early Earth and the search for life beyond it
By resurrecting a 3.2-billion-year-old enzyme and studying it inside living microbes, researchers have created a new way to improve our understanding of the origins of life on Earth. The study uses synthetic biology to reverse-engineer modern enzymes and rebuild their possible ancestors.
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News‘Trojan horse’ may deliver toxic dose of copper to bacterial colonies, including drug-resistant MRSA infections
A research team is developing a drug that works in combination with copper to kill bacteria, including those that cause MRSA, a type of staph infection that is resistant to usual treatments.