All Algae articles
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News
Researchers discover large dormant virus can be reactivated in model green alga
Scientists have not only found a virus in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii but discovered the largest one ever recorded with a latent infection cycle, meaning it goes dormant in the host before being reactivated to cause disease.
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News
Research to tackle Prymnesium algal blooms which affect fish populations
A scientific initiative to combat harmful Prymnesium algal blooms in the Broads is gaining fresh momentum, thanks to a renewed collaboration.
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News
Scientists link a phytoplankton bloom to starving dolphins in Florida
In 2013, 8% of the bottlenose dolphins living in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon died. Investigations have now revealed that the dolphins may have starved because key habitats for nutritious prey were destroyed by a phytoplankton bloom driven by the accumulation of fertilizer, effluent from septic tanks, and other by-products of human activity.
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News
A step towards life on Mars? Lichens survive Martian simulation in new study
For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that certain lichen species can survive Mars-like conditions, including exposure to ionising radiation, while maintaining a metabolically active state.
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News
Microalgae and bacteria team up to convert CO2 into useful products
Most methods of genetically modifying the bacterium Escherichia coli and other microbes to convert carbon dioxide into useful biological products require additional carbon sources. A new study overcomes this limitation by combining the photosynthetic finesse of a single-celled algae with the production capabilities of the bacteria E. coli.
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News
A borrowed bacterial gene allowed some marine diatoms to live on a seaweed diet
A group of diatom species belonging to the Nitzschia genus gave up on photosynthesis and now get their carbon straight from their environment, thanks to a bacterial gene picked up by an ancestor, a new study shows.
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Features
Under the microscope: microalgae-based bioremediation
The rapid expansion of the global human population and the increase in industrial and agricultural activities have led to severe environmental contamination. To remedy the situation, green technology has become more prevalent in recent years due to its numerous environmental benefits.
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News
Study identifies viruses in red tide blooms for the first time
A new study identifies viruses associated with Karenia brevis, the single-celled organism that causes red tide. By testing water samples collected from red tide blooms, the researchers found several viruses in blooms — including one new viral species.
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News
Magnetic microalgae on a mission to become robots
A team of researchers has developed a green algae-based biohybrid micro swimmer covered with magnetic material, whose swimming ability is largely unaffected by the coating.
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News
A study identifies ‘surprising’ cause of sargassum blooms in the Caribbean
A group of interantional researchers identified the cause of sargassum blooms in the tropical Atlantic Ocean using computer modelling. They have modelled the ocean currents, wind pattern and the growth conditions that help them thrive in the region.
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News
Presence of potentially toxic microalgae confirmed in La Concha Bay
The proliferation of the Ostreopsis ovata algae is no cause for alarm, but it is advisable to continue taking measurements, according to researchers.
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News
Researchers pinpoint shared stress response network between long diverged algae and plants
A research team has compared algae and plants that span 600 million years of independent evolution and pinpointed a shared stress response network using advanced bioinformatic methods.
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News
Great whale pee funnel carries nutrients thousands of miles, boosting phytoplanktons
A new study shows that whales carry huge quantities of nutrients horizontally, across whole ocean basins, from rich, cold waters where they feed to warm shores near the equator where they mate and give birth.
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News
Toxic chemical pollutants detected in lichens and mosses in the Irati forest
Scientists used a species of lichen (Parmelia sulcata) and a species of moss (Hypnum cupressiforme) from Irati Forest as sentinels or biomonitors to determine the organic pollution in the atmosphere.
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Opinion
The problem of microplastics in the oceans: it’s time for effective solutions
Francielly Bruna Neto Francisco and Ricardo Henrique Krüger, from the University of Brasília (UNB), warn that we urgently need technologies that will effectively eliminate partially or nonbiodegradable polymers from the marine environment.
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News
Heat-stressed reefs may benefit from coral-dwelling crabs
A species of branching coral is able to recover from heat stress and wounds due to its mutualistic relationship with crabs in the Great Barrier Reef Corals, a new study shows. This evolutionary partnership will inspire coral reef restoration strategies in the future.
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News
Scottish bio-tech company secures £3.4m investment
Scottish biotech engineering company uFraction8 has secured £3.4m in new investment following the completion of a funding round led by Foresight Group.
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News
Chlorine plus UV light degrades toxins caused by harmful algae blooms
Scientists examining the combination of ultraviolet light and chlorine to detoxify water laden with toxins from cyanobacteria have demonstrated that this combination significantly enhanced the degradation of toxins compared to chlorine alone.
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News
Resilient algae may speed up Greenland ice melt
Microscopic algae darken glacier surfaces and can accelerate melting. A new study investigating where the small algae get the necessary nutrients to survive in this hostile environment reveals how they absorb and store nutrients.
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News
Algal blooms intensify in global large lakes over the past two decades
With climate change affecting algal blooms, researchers have discovered that the combined nutrient and meteorological factors have significant influence on bloom frequency in large lakes across the world.