Horizon Awards 2026: Professor James Ebdon named as winner of John Snow Prize
Environmental microbiologist Professor James Ebdon, from the University of Brighton, UK, has been named as the winner of the John Snow Public Health Innovation Prize, which recognises outstanding achievements in applied microbiology that deliver measurable improvements in public health and environmental health outcomes.
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Faster results, harder decisions: interpreting syndromic panels in microbiological clinical practice
Every generation in diagnostic microbiology has tried to answer the same questions more quickly. Is an infection present? What is causing it? What should happen next? What has changed dramatically is how rapidly, and how broadly, laboratories can now search for answers to these questions.
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Tracking the invisible: monitoring microbial processes in freshwater ecosystems using fluorescence sensing
Rivers are dynamic ecosystems driven by microbial processes that regulate carbon and nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and oxygen consumption. Despite their central role in river health, microbial processes remain mostly invisible in routine water quality monitoring programmes, which continue to focus primarily on physicochemical parameters.
How indigenous microbes could rescue the Niger Delta
Benzene contamination from decades of oil exploitation has turned the Niger Delta’s groundwater into a slow-acting poison for millions of people. Yet the solution may already be living in the contaminated sediment itself, if only the political will exists to deploy it.
Earth’s “little Marses”: how extremophiles are shaping astrobiology
There are places on our planet where the environmental conditions closely resemble those on Mars. These terrestrial analogues have become natural laboratories where scientists study the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
Under the Lens video series
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 4
The microscopic organisms living around plant roots may hold the key to reducing agriculture’s reliance on chemical fertilisers and other non-renewable inputs, according to plant microbiome researcher Dr Davide Bulgarelli.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 3
Is raw milk safe to drink? Prof Emmanuel Adukwu is joined by Prof Nicola Holden and Dr Gil Domingue for a conversation on the societal, scientific, and health implications of this pertinent question.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 2
In our second episode, Dr Callum Cooper joins Professor Emmanuel Adukwu to talk about all things bacteriophage, from alternatives to antibiotics, social impact, and regulation.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 1
In our first episode, Professor Raquel Peixoto joins Professor Jack Gilbert for a deep dive into coral reefs, microbes, and the future of our planet.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 4
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 3
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 2
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 1
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Shigella: A phenotypic genus in a genomic era
In an era where evolutionary relationships can be resolved down to the single-nucleotide level, Shigella stands out as a relic of phenotype-based classification: a label built on lost traits rather than shared ancestry. Yet the genus persists, defended by appeals to clinical utility, says Georgina Donovan.
Menopause may have a link to fungal skin infections
For decades, skin concerns associated with menopause, like dry skin, itching, and redness, have often been dismissed as superficial cosmetic concerns inherent to biological ageing. But these changes may reflect the underlying shifts in skin biology.
How Puerto Rico’s first microbiome research center can reshape global science collaboration
AMI’s Global Ambassador for the Americas, Dr. Filipa Godoy-Vitorino, Chair of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Puerto Rico, reveals why she is spearheading the planned Puerto Rico Center for Microbiome Sciences (PR-CMS)—the first of its kind in the region.
From evidence to action: how to bridge the gap between scientists and decision-makers to solve global One Health challenges
Reflections from the AMI Policy Team’s recent workshop at the 9th World One Health Congress.
Food and innovation: Reflections from FOODMicro 2026
AMI Food Security Advisory Group member Professor Marciane Magnani, a Full Professor of Food Science at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), Brazil, reflects on her experiences of FOODMICRO 2026 in Slovenia.
Horizon Award winners one year on: What are they up to?
The nominations for the Horizon Awards are in - and the judges are making their decisions. While we await the big announcement, we’ve been catching up with the superstars who won in 2025.
How human cells slow down the Ebola virus
Human cells may possess a previously underappreciated defence against Ebola virus infection. Researchers found that the cell-surface protein CD81 can restrict viral entry and replication, while Ebola appears to use two of its own proteins to counteract this protective mechanism.
Anti-HIV antibody clinical trials offer clues to prevent viral escape and resistance
The broadly neutralizing antibody VRC01 has been thoroughly vetted as a potential prophylactic that could prevent people from becoming infected with HIV. A new analysis of data shows that the antibody initially provides strong protection, but that some strains of the virus can still cause breakthrough infections after treatment has stopped.
How a CRISPR sickle cell therapy moved from lab to clinical trial
Researchers have described how they advanced an experimental CRISPR approach for sickle cell disease into a blood stem cell therapy that can be manufactured at the scale and quality required for a clinical trial.
Food security
Three onion problems, one microbial answer: a five-strain consortium controls basal rot, eases salt-alkali stress and boosts growth
Onion yields and quality are increasingly threatened in China by severe soil salinization and by frequent outbreaks of basal rot. Effective, environmentally friendly measures that address both problems remain scarce. Researchers set out to build a microbial consortium that degrades salt and alkali, controls basal rot, and promotes onion growth.
Clean Water
Engineered plant–microbe symbiosis turns wastewater metals into photosynthetic biohybrids
A new plant–microbe strategy could change how wastewater heavy-metal pollutants are managed: instead of merely capturing toxic cadmium and lead, it converts them into light-harvesting semiconductor nanoparticles on living bacteria. The system pairs water lettuce with an engineered, fast-growing aerobic bacterium.
Study identifies fetal bovine serum in vaccines as key risk factor for spinal deformities in farmed Atlantic salmon
New peer-reviewed research demonstrates a strong association between residual fetal bovine serum in oil-adjuvanted vaccines and the prevalence of “cross-stitch” vertebrae, a condition linked to significant growth reduction.
