Soil Stars join forces to develop ambitious challenges to tackle global soil degradation
Scientists, farmers, policymakers, business leaders, investors and leading voices from science and culture have joined forces to develop ambitious new challenges designed to harness the power of soil microbes to tackle global soil degradation.
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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.
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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.
Can monolaurin help fight superbugs?
Among the many naturally occurring antimicrobial compounds, glycerol monolaurate (GML), more commonly known as monolaurin, has attracted renewed interest because of its broad antimicrobial activity and potential role in addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
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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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.
When do human-driven changes to wildlife microbiomes become a One Health concern?
Animals live in close partnership with communities of microbes that support digestion, immune development, and defence against pathogens, but human activities are changing those partnerships, says Katherine M. Lagerstrom.
Whose culture is it? Rethinking the study of traditional fermented food microbiomes
When microbiologists study traditional fermented foods, are we simply documenting natural biodiversity, or are we also accessing a form of cultural heritage, asks Tara Spencer-Drakes, PhD.
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.
Meet the Global Ambassadors: our Q&A with Sanjib Bhakta
The Microbiologist gets to know our Global Ambassador for the UK, Professor Sanjib Bhakta who is Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Biochemistry at Birkbeck, University of London.
How a sceptic was won over: Charlotte Wilson on her internship with AMI
Fourth year PhD student Charlotte Wilson admits she was sceptical before she embarked on her PIPS internship with Applied Microbiology International’s Communications and Marketing Team - but here’s how it turned out.
Research uncovers how bacteria fight viruses, opening the door to better virus-based antibiotics
New research has revealed that bacteria detect viruses when a viral enzyme cuts an important sensor molecule in the bacterium, kicking off the immune response. The discovery paves the way for development of better phage therapies that can evade the bacterial immune system.
Sugar amplifies damage done to gut health by antibiotics
Eating sweets while taking antibiotics may worsen the harm done by the drugs to the normal community of bacteria in the gut, a new study has found. The study of hospitalized cancer patients found an additional 21% reduction in the variety of helpful bacterial species present for every 100 grams of sugar consumed in the 48 hours before treatment.
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.
Food security
Weather and poultry litter shape E. coli survival in onion fields
How long can E.coli survive in the soil beneath an onion crop? A two-year field study suggests the answer depends not only on the type of poultry-based fertiliser used, but also on weather conditions such as humidity, rain, temperature and wind. The findings could help growers and regulators better assess food safety risks as extreme weather becomes more common.
Clean Water
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.
Chinese mangrove sediments reveal scale-dependent assembly of fungal communities
Researchers collected 300 sediment samples from seven representative mangrove wetlands across six national nature reserves along the southeastern coast of China. The team employed dual-amplicon high-throughput sequencing to simultaneously characterize fungal and prokaryotic communities.
