Young Innovators & Early Career Research
-
News’Footprint of Death’ gives new clues to cell life, spread of disease
Scientists at La Trobe University have discovered a previously unknown way viruses could spread around the body, potentially paving the way for more effective drug development. Source: La Trobe University Dead cells after the self-destruction and fragmentation process. The large green areas are the “eat me” signals ...
-
NewsSurprising bacteria discovery links Hawaiʻi’s groundwater to the ocean
A new species of bacteria has been discovered off the coast of Oʻahu, shedding light on how unseen microbial life connects Hawaiʻi’s land and sea ecosystems.
-
NewsMiniature noses to help prevent infections and promote nasal health
To better understand how different bacteria interact with the lining of the human nose, researchers used a miniature model of the human nose to study how bacteria can live in nasal passages.
-
NewsGut microbiome affects alcohol preference by influencing brain’s reward system
A new study shows how an overgrowth of Candida albicans - overly abundant in people with alcohol use disorder - increases levels of inflammatory molecules that can cross the blood-brain barrier and affect the desire for alcohol.
-
NewsAnts alter their nest networks to prevent epidemics, study finds
Ants make a series of clever architectural adjustments to their nests to prevent the spread of disease, new research has found. Nests built by colonies exposed to disease had far more widely spread entrances and were more separated, with fewer direct connexions between chambers.
-
NewsAfrican wildlife poop sheds light on what shapes the gut ecosystem
A study of elephants, giraffes and other wildlife in Namibia’s Etosha National Park underscores the ways in which the environment, biological sex, and anatomical distinctions can drive variation in the gut microbiomes across plant-eating species.
-
NewsCould cardamom seeds be a potential source of antiviral treatment?
Researchers have found that cardamom seed extract, as well as its main bioactive ingredient, 1,8-cineole, can have potent antiviral effects through its ability to enhance the production of antiviral molecules known as type I interferons via nucleic acid ‘sensors’ inside cells.
-
News‘Cocktails’ of common pharmaceuticals in our waterways may promote antibiotic resistance
New research has shown, for the first time, how mixtures of commonly used medications which end up in our waterways and natural environments might increase the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
-
NewsLake Tahoe algae experiment suggests seasonal shifts ahead
As the climate warms and nutrient inputs shift, algal communities in cool, clear mountain lakeswill likely experience seasonal changes, according to a new study. The effects of climate warming were especially pronounced in the colder months.
-
NewsClimate change may increase the spread of neurotoxin in the oceans
Climate-driven oxygen loss in the Black Sea thousands of years ago triggered the expansion of microorganisms capable of producing the potent neurotoxin methylmercury. That is shown in a new study which suggests that similar processes could occur in today’s warming oceans.
-
NewsPoultry growers: Have you checked your water lines lately?
Water quality could impact the kind of microbial populations in poultry drinking water lines and lead to the buildup of a biofilm that can harbor pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella, according to a new study.
-
NewsProtein condensates determine a cell’s fate, yeast study reveals
To ensure they have all the information they need, molecules from throughout a cell gather and form aggregates that can have different consistencies: regions called “condensates”. Researchers have discovered how condensates contribute to cellular information exchange in yeast cells.
-
NewsResearchers uncover hidden plant–microbe strategy that boosts crop growth under nutrient stress
Scientists discovered that when soil microbes compete with each other in the rhizosphere, they release a well-known compound called glutathione. This compound enhances plant growth under sulphur-deficient conditions.
-
NewsMore than a feeling: Could a healthier gut improve mental health?
A new review finds strong causal evidence that gut microbes can change brain chemistry, stress responses and behaviours in animal models; and evidence that probiotics, diet changes, and faecal microbiota transplants improve mood and anxiety.
-
NewsParasite paparazzi take millions of photos of secret malaria proteins
Using millions of microscope images magnified up to 130,000 times, researchers have unraveled the structure of two key proteins in the malaria parasite. With this knowledge, scientists are developing new vaccines that block the transmission of parasites via mosquitoes.
-
NewsScientists discover regulatory pathway behind cyanobacteria’s carbon-fixing factories
A new study illuminates a key regulatory pathway between cyanobacteria’s light-harvesting systems and the inner compartments where carbon fixation happens, helping us to understand how cyanobacteria balance their energy demands.
-
NewsGolden spruce trees: Gold forms nanoparticles in the needles – bacteria show the way
A new study has, for the first time, uncovered a connection between bacteria living in Norway spruce needles and gold nanoparticles. This discovery could pave the way for environmentally friendly gold exploration methods, while examining similar processes in mosses may also help remove metals from mining-impacted waters.
-
NewsResearchers wake up microbes trapped in permafrost for thousands of years
In a new study, a team of geologists and biologists resurrected ancient microbes that had been trapped in ice—in some cases for around 40,000 years.
-
NewsThe essential role of the urban tree microbiome: A key to city health
Researchers studied the difference in microbial communities of street trees and non-urban forest trees. By analyzing fungal and bacterial diversity, tree size, and soil properties, their research shows the impacts of urban environmental stressors upon city tree microbiomes.
-
NewsScientists explore how viruses replicate and infect
Herpes viruses cultivated using one kind of host cell – known as a producer cell – exhibited differences from the same virus cultivated with a different producer cell.