All Early Career Research articles
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NewsThroat microbiome holds clues to older Australians’ health
A simple swab from the back of the throat, known as the oropharynx, may offer clues about health challenges faced by aged care residents.
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NewsNew antibodies show potential to defeat all SARS-CoV-2 variants
Researchers discovered that a paired combination of antibodies binding to the two domains of the SARS-CoV-2 viral particle showed promising results in elimination of all virus variants caused in the COVID-19 pandemic.
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NewsResearchers see breakthrough in efficient biofuel production
Researchers have found ways to limit the toxicity to microbes generated by the biofuel butanol through fermentation of plant biomass, by manipulating the structure of microbe cell membrane at atomic level.
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NewsWhite blood cells use brute force to dislodge bacteria
A $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).will support research into blood platelets and macrophages; how integrin tension influences cell function; and how this force affects platelet behavior.
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NewsProactively exposing ecosystems to mild environmental stressors appears to offer protection
Mild, proactive exposure to environmental stress can help biological communities resist severe disturbances and maintain genetic diversity, a recent study has found.
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NewsNew COVID-flu vaccine platform could provide broad, lasting protection
Researchers have developed a new vaccine platform that could provide more robust, longer-lasting protection from both COVID-19 and influenza, and broader immunity to different flu strains.
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CareersMy PhD Experience: Collaborations between academia and industry in the microbial bioremediation of marine oil pollution
Jake A Smallbone reveals how a industry collaboration as part of his PhD led to work on a real world oil spill to uncover the fascinating ways that bacterial communities respond to pollution and can be deployed as biomarkers and in bioremediation.
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NewsResearchers develop enhanced method for wastewater surveillance of antibiotic resistance
To better monitor the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance, researchers have developed a CRISPR-enriched metagenomics method for the enhanced surveillance of antibiotic resistance genes, ARGs, in wastewater.
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NewsDiscovery of a common ‘weapon’ used by disease-causing fungi could help engineer more resilient food crops
The discovery of a powerful “weapon” used by many disease-causing fungi to infect and destroy major food crop staples, such as rice and corn, could offer new strategies to bolster global food security
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NewsNew method developed to dramatically enhance bioelectronic sensors
In a breakthrough that could transform bioelectronic sensing, researchers have developed a new method to dramatically enhance the sensitivity of enzymatic and microbial fuel cells using organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs).
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NewsHeat-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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NewsLaser-powered device tested on Earth could help us detect microbial fossils on Mars
Scientists hoping to identify fossil evidence of ancient Martian microbial life have now found a way to test their hypothesis, proving they can detect the fossils of microbes in gypsum samples that are a close analogy to sulfate rocks on Mars.
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NewsBackyard poultry face HPAI risk when migrating mallards stop to rest
Knowing where, when and for how long mallard ducks – natural carriers of avian influenza – stop and rest as they migrate can help predict the probability that they will spread bird flu to backyard poultry flocks, according to a new study.
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NewsScientists invent new drug candidates to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Researchers designed a new family of antibiotics that’s a variation of an existing drug called vancomycin, which is used as a last resort for extremely ill patients. The new version of vancomycin targets, bonds to and renders inactive two different parts of a molecule on the surfaces of pathogenic bacteria.
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CareersRethinking culture to maximise research potential
In a world where most academic microbiology laboratories are still run by men, Laureate Prof. Madeleine van Oppen and Prof. Linda Blackall have led a highly productive environmental microbiology research group at The University of Melbourne.
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NewsStudy calls for better measures of poverty to strengthen tuberculosis research
A new review examines existing methods for assessing socioeconomic status in TB studies and highlights their shortcomings. The authors call for better, standardized poverty metrics to improve research and policy.
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NewsChlorine 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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NewsScientists uncover how bacterial resistance to synergistic drug treatments is arising
Scientists investigating the potential of combined and more powerful drug treatments have found that antimicrobial resistance to these is arising via the vitamin B2 synthesis pathway.
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NewsDigging into a decades-old hepatitis B mystery suggests a new potential treatment
In their effort to answer a decades-old biological question about how the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is able to establish infection of liver cells, researchers have identified a vulnerability that opens the door to new treatments.
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NewsCoffee grounds and Reishi mushroom spores can be 3D printed into a compostable alternative to plastics
Researchers have developed a new system for turning coffee grounds into a paste, which is inoculated with Reishi mushroom spores to form a mycelial skin. The skin turns the coffee grounds into a resilient, fully compostable 3D printable alternative to plastics.