All Early Career Research articles – Page 4
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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NewsResearchers deconstruct chikungunya outbreaks to improve prediction and vaccine development
Researchers analyzed more than 80 outbreaks of chikungunya virus to improve prediction of future outbreaks and inform vaccine trial development.
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NewsHeart rhythm disorder POTS common in patients with long COVID
A new study shows that an unusual heart rhythm disorder, POTS, is particularly common in people with long COVID. The majority of those affected are middle-aged women.
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NewsSummer studentship: Shen explores how a novel peptide can destabilise the outer membrane of E. coli
Li Shen reports back on his AMI-sponsored summer studentship which investigated a novel antibiotic adjuvant at the Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology, Imperial College London.
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NewsAncient plankton hint at steadier future for ocean life
A team of scientists has uncovered a rare isotope in microscopic fossils, offering fresh evidence that ocean ecosystems may be more resilient than once feared. They analyzed nitrogen isotopes preserved in the shells of tiny plankton called foraminifera.
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NewsCould a fungus provide a blueprint for next-gen hydrogels?
New research finds one fungal species, Marquandomyces marquandii, shows promise as a potential building block for new biomedical materials. It can grow into hydrogels, materials that hold lots of water and mimic the softness and flexibility of human tissues.
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NewsNew herpes virus–based vaccine could cure cancer in the future without side effects
The Herpes simplex virus is a widespread virus that often causes cold sores, and most people carry it. By removing a virulence gene, i.e. a gene that makes the virus harmful to humans, the herpes virus can be repurposed as a cancer vaccine.
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NewsIndia could bear biggest impact from chikungunya, new maps suggest
Based on existing evidence of chikungunya transmission, an infectious disease model predicts 14.4 million people could be at risk of infections globally each year, with 5.1 million people at risk in India.
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NewsCorals might be adapting to climate change, study shows
Researchers showed that despite a gradual increase in ocean acidity levels over the past 200 years, some corals seem to be able to adjust and continue to generate their hard, stony skeleton structures.
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NewsEngineers use bacterial nanowires to create first artificial neurons that could directly communicate with living cells
Engineers have created an artificial neuron with electrical functions that closely mirror those of biological ones. Using protein nanowires synthesized from electricity-generating bacteria, the discovery could herald immensely efficient computers built on biological principles.