All articles by Linda Stewart – Page 5
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NewsHow and where mcrobes die in soil influences residues, organic matter, and soil health
Healthy soils depend not just on plant inputs, but also on the remains of microbes. A new study found that microbial residues build up when they bind to fine-textured, non-crystalline minerals that are rich in reactive iron.
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NewsCell by cell: New machine-learning-based method reveals what can make bacteria dangerous
A new method detects fluorescently labelled bacteria inside human cells and uses machine learning to analyse microscopy images. This allows researchers to measure, in the same experimental system, how efficiently bacteria enter cells, how strongly they accumulate inside them, and what kind of DNA damage they induce.
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NewsNew treatment aims to achieve lasting cure for persistent bacterial vaginosis
Researchers and clinicians are trialing new combinations of antibiotics to treat persistent bacterial vaginosis (BV), following their landmark discovery that the condition is sexually transmissible. A new study reveals why some women continue to experience a repeat diagnosis of BV even when their male partners are treated concurrently.
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NewsGlobal launch of cosmetic product based on AFYREN’s 100% natural propionic acid
A new cosmetic product formulated with AFYREN ingredient now available for skincare professionals and consumers
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NewsCrawling Asgardians: Unexpected dynamics of ancient microbes discovered
Microbiologists placed Asgard archaea in an oxygen-free environment and filmed the living cells under a microscope. This resulted in the first live-cell recordings, which show dynamic changes in shape and a novel crawling movement across surfaces. The results reveal a remarkably dynamic, actin-based cytoskeleton, with parallels to that found in human cells.
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NewsChinese 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.
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NewsPneumonia can reveal undiagnosed blood cancer
Severe pneumococcal disease requiring hospitalization, most commonly pneumonia, can be a sign of previously undiagnosed blood cancer and immunodeficiency in adult patients, according to a study.
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NewsFirst insight into the virome composition of the vulnerable Naemorhedus griseus
The Chinese goral (Naemorhedus griseus) has been identified as a vulnerable species on the Red List of China’s Biodiversity. Scientists performed the whole virome profiling of a rescue-failed Naemorhedus griseus, which identified a diverse viral community across multiple organ tissues of the animal.
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NewsResearchers work toward universal flu, HIV vaccines
What if there was a way to achieve stronger, multi-year protection from a single flu jab? Researchers are looking to better understand a viral mechanism shared between influenza and HIV with the aim of disrupting infection. This research could help develop effective vaccines for both diseases, as well as new antivirals.
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NewsBlueberries modify gut microbiome in older adults with mild depression
A new pilot study has found that older, sedentary adults who consumed blueberries daily showed a greater, more consistent reduction in depressive symptoms, paired with minor changes in markers of gut microbial enzymes.
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NewsIn African lakes, microbes living on algae reduce a powerful greenhouse gas
Lakes emit as much methane as agriculture. Researchers have shown that, in 79 African lakes, bacteria living on the surface of microalgae act as a natural filter. The greener the water becomes, the more these methanotrophs break down this powerful greenhouse gas.
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NewsGut enzyme links microbiota, barrier dysfunction and MASH progression
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is often viewed through the lens of hepatic lipid accumulation, inflammation and fibrosis. A new study identifies intestinal neutral ceramidase as a gut-derived driver of MASH progression through its effects on microbial metabolism, epithelial signalling and intestinal barrier function.
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NewsAnti-cancer molecules show promise in the fight against malaria
Molecules known for their anti-cancer activity have proven effective in combating Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria. Researchers also investigated how differences in the structure of these molecules affect their impact on the parasites.
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NewsHoneybee silk could power smarter wound dressings
Recombinant honeybee silk can be bioengineered in a lab, allowing researchers to modify the protein sequence and potentially introduce new features into the materials, such as infection-sensing signals or targeted drug release.
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NewsAPIC and SHEA Statement on reported erosion of CDC capacity
Reports that the CDC has lost nearly a third of its workforce, including experienced scientists in its emerging infectious disease and respiratory disease centers, means guidance is slower to arrive, technical assistance is harder to reach, and scientific expertise is thinner at a time when most needed, experts warn.
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NewsPromega launches Paradyme™ 27GY STR System, mnimising stutter artifacts in forensic DNA analysis
Promega Corporation has launched Paradyme™ 27GY STR System, the first commercially available short tandem repeat (STR) analysis kit to include the company’s Reduced-Stutter Polymerase (RSP). This novel enzyme significantly reduces the most common type of confounding artifact in forensic DNA analysis.
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NewsGroundbreaking research to sequence Antarctic genomes from microbes to whales
A molecular microbial ecologist and biological oceanographer has been awarded $18.4 million to lead a project that will pave the way for the next generation of Antarctic research. This research infrastructure will enable researchers to understand how Antarctic life has evolved and adapted to extreme conditions, while also seeding innovation.
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NewsAbout 1 in 3 Americans say RFK Jr. recommends measles vaccination
The number of measles cases in the United States is at the highest level in decades, attributed to a decrease in vaccination against measles. The public remains evenly divided on whether or not U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommends the MMR vaccine.
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NewsWHO reports latest global trends in cholera, meningitis and plague
Cholera deaths increased by 30% in 2025, despite fewer cases being reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2025, 47 countries reported 451 499 cholera cases and 7870 deaths to WHO, the highest number of annual cholera deaths reported to WHO since 1999.
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News Distinct gut microbiome patterns found in 5 cancer groups and in early-onset cancers
Researchers have discovered distinct gut microbiome patterns in adults 50 or younger with colorectal and breast cancers compared with those diagnosed later in life — one of several findings from an analysis of stool samples from 1,364 patients with cancer across cancer types, stages and treatments.